A Sky Full of Stars
by CCLBabe
Summary: What happens when Ranger, 32, meets Stephanie, 24, and she starts working for RangeMan? What happens when Ranger gets called to the Wind after his contract has expired, and he leaves Stephanie for 2 years? Babe story. Cupcake friendly. AU. Rated M to be safe. This story will take place over a number of years.
1. Chapter 1

AN: These wonderful characters were created by the hilarious Janet Evanovich. I receive no compensation for this yet unfinished story. This is just for fun. Also, I changed the ages of the Stephanie and Ranger. Stephanie is 24 and Ranger is 32 and has already started RangeMan at the time this story starts. Slightly AU.

**Chapter 1**

SPOV:

My name is Stephanie Plum and I am a 24 year-old unemployed recent divorcée. This past year has quite possibly been the worst year of my life. I came home from old job at E.E. Martin one night to find my husband of less than a year, Dickie, with Joyce Barnhardt in flagrante delicto on my newly purchased dining room table. A month later the FBI shut down my employer for being a front for the Mafia. Let's just say that if I didn't have sh*tty luck, I would have no luck at all.

I was paying my bills online, inputting the data into my Excel spreadsheet (Hey, I was a business major in college. If I don't do this, I will spend all of my money on gorgeous FMPs and will have no money for food and I _really like_ food.), and looking at my bank balance. I was pretty close to hyperventilating. My nest egg, the bank account I set up secretly from my ex-husband because I had a bad feeling, only had enough money to pay my bills for another two months. Thank heavens I paid my car off before the Dickie debacle! One thing I didn't need was a car payment, especially when unemployed.

Hmmm, I thought, maybe I should go bum dinner off my parents again. My mom had been bugging me to come for dinner anyway and she mentioned pineapple upside down cake, my favorite dessert of all time.

Two hours later I was pulling into my parents' driveway with my mother and grandmother standing on the porch watching me. I have no idea how they do it. They must have some sort of Stephanie-radar or some sort of super power. I had not even promised that I would come to dinner. I was completely noncommittal when I spoke with my mom on the phone this morning.

"Stephanie! Oh! I am so glad you are here. You can take me to Stiva's tonight. There looks to be three good viewings and your mother refuses to take me again. She was grumbling something about closed caskets and floral catastrophes and then went to hit the Jim Beam when I asked her this morning," exclaimed my 68 year young grandmother.

In the middle of my grandmother's little spiel about Stiva's my mother entered the house, going directly to the cabinet in the kitchen that held the Jim Beam. I can't say that I blame my mom for wanting to avoid all funeral parlors in the greater Trenton area. My grandmother is every funeral director's nightmare. She demands to see all the deceased, so you can bet money on that she will attempt to open any closed casket. This generally causes some sort of emotional trauma for the families of the deceased, multiple floral arrangements end up knocked over, and in general, chaos ensues.

As we entered the house, my mother called out to me, "Stephanie! If you take your grandmother to Stiva's tonight, I will give you the entire pineapple upside down cake. It is yours. Please, please take her. I just don't think I can do it again tonight. Well, ever really…." Her voice trailed off, her skin paled thinking about going to viewings with my grandmother.

"Deal," I said, sticking my hand out to shake with my mother. I donn't want her to decide to renege on the pineapple upside cake payment if Grandma Mazur strikes again, so to speak. Shaking guarantees that she will stick with the deal. I will need a huge piece of cake to recover from going to Stiva's with Grandma Mazur, possibly with a few shots of some tequila as a chaser if all hell breaks loose.

Dinner was the Plum family norm – on the table at 6:00pm on the dot, heavy on the pot roast and potatoes without a green veggie to be seen, just the way I like it. My father ate silently, shoveling the food in his mouth. Grandma Mazur talked about the 70 year-old "hottie" she met at Bingo the night before. My mother tried to talk me into applying to the button and feminine products factories. Thankfully, she avoided talking about my love life or lack thereof. I am hoping I get another year of silence on the topic due to the whole Dickie debacle. Just thinking about dating makes me break out in hives these days. The only thing I am willing to commit to is my shower massager. It can't cheat on you.

"You know Pumpkin, Vinnie is looking for filing clerk or some sort of office worker I think," Dad told me unexpectedly. My mother, grandmother, and I all looked up at him in shock. He doesn't speak at the dinner table. Plus, there is a silent agreement in my family to not speak of my cousin, Vinnie. He is a bail bondsman who has an affinity for animals and all sorts of other sexual deviance. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a thing furries considering he likes live animals.

"Really Frank? You want her to work with a bunch of criminals? That is a horrible idea!" My mother cried, getting up quickly, on her way to her BFF, Jim Beam, in the kitchen.

Sadly, I was considering the idea of working for Vinnie. I was that desperate. On the upside, maybe the people he bonds out will be interesting. They at least have to be more interesting than working at the button or feminine products factories.

"Thanks for the idea Dad. I will stop in tomorrow to see what, if any jobs they have," I replied. I heard my mom open the cabinet holding the Jim Beam again. Hmmm, maybe I should have whispered that so she wouldn't hear….

* * *

><p>"Just drop me off here and then find a place to park, Stephanie," Grandma Mazur instructed me when I pulled into Stiva's. I probably shouldn't let her enter Stiva's without a chaperone, but, well, that means I will be in Stiva's for less time. I found the furthest parking space just to take up more time.<p>

I strolled into Stiva's looking relaxed, but I actually quite alert, looking for Grandma Mazur. Once I spotted her, I moved off to the side of the room, leaning against a wall, making sure she was always in my line of sight. And then she went for it. I saw the whole thing play out in slow motion…

I heard her complain vociferously about Dottie Nahori having a closed casket. That was my cue. I powered through the crowd, ducking and dodging people, and yelling out, "Grandma, no!" I was still a second too late. She managed to knock the casket off the table it was resting on. As it pitched back it hit a very large and most likely expensive floral arrangement, causing the thing to fall on me. I landed on my butt covered in flowers.

"Here, let me help you," said quite possibly the handsomest man in the world, offering me a hand. When his hand touched mine, I felt a tingle in my hand and the back of my neck. I felt a little zing to my doodah as well. He was sex on a stick, well, more like sex in an exquisitely tailored black Gucci suit. I felt ridiculous in comparison, in my knee length blue, black and white floral sheath dress, covered in funeral flowers and water.

His lips were twitchy like he wanted to smile and laugh. Ah, nothing like getting noticed by the sexiest man alive because of the chaos my grandmother causes due to her morbid fascination with seeing the dead. "Thanks," I said to the gorgeous stranger after I was on my feet.

I turned to Grandma Mazur and said, "Alright, the party is over. Time to go home."

"You are such a stick in the mud, Stephanie! There are still two other viewings here tonight that we can quickly check out," Grandma Mazur protested.

"Yeah, not happening. I am sure the phone is already ringing off the hook at home. I can just imagine how drunk Mom is going to be by the time I drop you off," I replied, tugging her out of the funeral home. I drove back to my parents in my little dark blue Mazda Miata, listening to my grandmother bemoan closed casket viewings. I parked in the driveway, escorting Grandma Mazur into the house. My mother was on the phone, quietly banging her head against the kitchen table that held a glass with some Jim Beam in it. The Burg gossip line already got a hold of my mother. I almost felt sorry for her. Almost. She must have known there was going to be a closed casket viewing, hence the pineapple upside down cake deal.

I grabbed the cake Mom had already wrapped up for me and headed home. I deserved a huge piece of cake and maybe a shot or two of tequila….

RPOV:

I was staking out Dottie Nahori's viewing, hoping to spot her nephew, Béci, one of RangeMan's skips. Béci, an accountant, made the mistake of stealing $5 million from his employer over the last 5 years and then avoiding his court date. We had a whole team assembled at Stiva's in hopes of a quick, quiet takedown.

While I was up near the casket, Lester was standing near the door into Slumber Room Two, where Dottie's viewing was taking place. Cal and Ram were positioned at the back door in case he decided to run while Bobby and Tank were at the front door, pretending to get some air.

Suddenly, I felt a weird tingling at the base of my spine. I looked up and walking into Slumber Room Two was a pretty woman with wildly curly, long brown hair and the brightest blue eyes I have ever seen. Apparently I was not the only one who noticed her. My man whore of a cousin Lester was checking her out as well.

Just then I caught sight of Béci. He was in line to pay his respects. Lester caught sight of him as well and got in line right behind him. Then out of nowhere I saw the blue-eyed woman moving quickly towards the casket. I was trying to figure out what was happening when I heard her call out, "Grandma, no!" The casket fell, hitting a huge arrangement of ostentatious flowers. The blue-eyed beauty was knocked to the floor and covered with flowers.

Lester used the distraction to surprise the skip, cuffing him and guiding him out of Stiva's quietly.

I was fighting laughter, my lips twitching. I held out my hand and said, "Here, let me help you." When our hands touched I felt tingling in my hand similar to what I felt at the base of my spine when I first spotted her. She thanked me and then practically dragged her grandmother out of Stiva's.

This take down could not have gone any better if we had planned for the distraction. From my earbud, I heard Lester quietly say, "That was the easiest takedown at a funeral home ever. Too bad Beautiful had to get knocked on her ass, and what a nice ass it was!" I just shook my head, silently laughing, and walked out of Stiva's to meet up with the rest of the team.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

SPOV:

I woke up the morning following the funeral fiasco at 7:00AM, hit the power button on the Keurig so it would be ready, and hopped in the shower. I had showered the night before to get the smell of funeral flowers off me, but I decided I needed to shower again in hopes that afterward I would be able to tame the beast that is my hair. I was looking a little like Albert Einstein hair-wise this morning. That most certainly would not help me in my job search, even if I was just going to talk to my creepy cousin.

I managed to make my long curls look soft and pretty with the help of Mr. Alexander's Magic Hair Serum, a lot of mousse and hair gel, and my crazy expensive hairdryer with diffuser attachment. Even if I wanted to be a low-maintenance girl (which goes against my New Jersey upbringing), I would not be able to all because of my hair. I dotted a little foundation under my eyes, did some quick natural eye shadow and liner, three coats of mascara (I need some courage to deal with Vinnie), and a little bit of NARS Orgasm blush. I got dressed in jeans, a cute t-shirt, and my hot pink Brooks sneakers. I figure this outfit will work since I know my cousin and he is not a great dresser at home, in the office, or even at a wedding. I swear he is perpetually in a nasty polyester leisure suit left over from the 1970s.

"Rex, wish me luck!" I called out to my pet hamster as I left the apartment with my travel mug of coffee from my Keurig.

I sipped my coffee as I drove ten minutes down the road to the Vincent Plum Bail Bonds office is located. I walked in and saw Connie, a high school classmate of my sister's.

"Hey, Connie. How are you doing?" I asked.

"I am doing well, how are you doing Steph? I haven't seen you in a while, but I did hear about Stiva's last night," she replied. I cringed. Nothing like the Burg gossip hotline.

"I should have known something was up last night when Mom bribed me with a whole pineapple upside cake to take Grandma Mazur to her viewings," I groaned. "Is Vinnie in by chance? My dad mentioned that you guys had some job openings and I was kind of hoping Vinnie might help me out."

"Sorry, Steph. We needed a file clerk, but hired somebody last week. What happened with your old job?" Connie asked.

"I was working for E.E. Martin," I said.

"'Nuff said. You went to college right? What was your degree in?" Connie asked.

"I got a business administration degree from Case Western Reserve University. I worked as a lingerie buyer for the last two years, well, since I graduated."

"Hmm," Connie said. "I think I might know of something. Vinnie contracts out some of his FTAs to a local security company, RangeMan. The owner owes me a favor and I know he is looking for an office manager. They are a bunch of former military Special Forces guys and hate paperwork. I can give him a call if you like. That should get you an interview at the very least."

I thought for a second. I could deal with paperwork. Paperwork is better than working on a factory line at the button or feminine products lines.

"Is the owner a good guy or is he like Vinnie?" I asked. I wanted to know what I was quite possibly getting myself into. It is one thing for the creepy guy you work for to be a family member. There is only so much crap they can pull on you. Non-family member creepy bosses is just, well, creepy.

"Nah, he is a good guy. Straight shooter. He honors his word. And I have not heard of any weird affinities for farm animals," Connie said. I laughed at the farm animal crack. Vinnie might be creepy, but his love affair with the duck is kind of funny; well, in theory that is.

"Ok, give him a call. I can do office work," I said, taking a deep breath. Connie dialed the phone number from memory.

"Hey, Ranger, this is Connie, how are you doing?" He must have replied, but obviously, I could only hear Connie's side of the conversation.

"I was hoping I could use that favor you owe me. I have a friend who is looking for a job. She has a business degree and worked for E.E. Martin, but you know they got shut down. Since she worked there she is basically blackballed. I know you are looking for an office manager. I was hoping you might give her an interview." Connie listened for a few seconds. "Hold on, let me check with her."

Connie covered the mouthpiece and asked me, "Are you available at one o'clock?" I shook my head affirmatively.

"Yeah, she can meet you for an interview then. Where? Ok. I will tell her. Thanks so much Ranger!" Connie hung up the phone and looked at me with a huge smile.

"Ok, he said to meet him at the Greasy Spoon Diner. It is five blocks down in the shopping plaza on the left," Connie told me.

"That sounds like a weird place for an interview, but I am not going to look a gift horse in the mouth! Hopefully I will knock his socks off!" I exclaimed. "Wait, what type of name is Ranger? And what does he look like? I should probably have some sort of idea of who I am looking for…."

"Ranger is his nickname. I guess he was the most bad ass of all the bad ass Army Rangers. His real name is Ricardo Carlos Mañoso, but don't call him that. Just call him Ranger. And O.M.G.! He looks like a Cuban sex god. The man is delectable. Honestly, it should be a crime to look like him," Connie drooled. "He is about six foot, short black hair, skin the color of café latte. Sometimes he has diamond earrings in. Depends on the day and what section of the city he is working in, but most likely he will be in black S.W.A.T. clothing. He will be hard to miss! Believe me…." She started fanning herself. I had to laugh. Nobody could be that handsome, I thought. And then I remembered the man from Stiva's last night. He was _that _gorgeous.

I decided that I should probably get going. It was already 9:30 and figured Connie needed to do some work. I also needed to pick up my suit from the dry cleaner's, print out my résumé, and look up information about his company so that I could be a little knowledgeable.

"Thanks so much for your help Connie! I owe you one! I will call you later to let you know how the interview goes," I told her. She smiled and picked up her nail file. I gave a finger wave good-bye and headed out to my car.

A few hours later, I looked at myself in the mirror. Not bad. My hair was still behaving. I had touched up my make-up. My slate grey suit looked professional, highlighted my figure without looking inappropriate. I liked a good pencil skirt. It did good things for my butt and waist. I stepped into my black FMPs, put in my opal stud earrings. Simple, classy, business appropriate. I looked the part.

I picked up my résumé folio, my pocket book, and keys. I took a deep breath and headed for my car.

I can do this! I thought to myself. I can do this job! I am perfect for it! Well, at least I think so. Looking up information about the company was a little frustrating. Their website only gave details about the company's offerings, no job postings, employment information.

Don't let that deter you! I thought to myself again. Power of positive thinking. I am going to get this job. I have tons of experience with spreadsheets, accounting, budgets, purchasing.

I drove to the Greasy Spoon Diner, parked my car. I looked at my watch. It was 12:55. A little early, but not too early. Perfect. I got out of my car, stood up straight to project confidence, and walked into the diner with a purpose.

And there _he_ was in the back book, sitting with his back to the wall. It was the guy from Stiva's last night, but today, instead of his amazing Gucci suit, he was dressed in S.W.A.T. black and aviator sunglasses on.

No drooling! I told myself as I walked back to his booth. "Hi, my name is Stephanie Plum," I said, holding out my hand. I gave him a slight smile. I was hoping he didn't recognize me from Stiva's, but knew that with my sh*t luck he knew exactly who I was. Bleepity bleep bleep!

He stood, held his hand out to shake mine. Damn! It was the tingle again. What the heck is up with that?! I thought.

"Ranger Mañoso," he said. "I think we inadvertently met last night at Stiva's."

I felt my cheeks blush. Another humiliation in the life of Stephanie Plum, I thought. Then I refocused. Positive thinking. Make a little joke about Grandma Mazur and pineapple upside down cake as hazard pay.

"Right…I was escorting my grandmother to the viewing. It is the 'social thing to do' when you are a senior citizen in the Burg. I should have realized when my mom bribed me with a whole pineapple upside down cake to take Grandma Mazur to Stiva's. I should have asked for more for hazard pay!" I joked. Ranger's lips twitched like he wanted to smile.

The waitress came over to take our orders. I ordered coffee with cream and Ranger just got a glass of water. She returned seconds later with our order.

"Connie said you were looking for an office manager. I really think I would be a good fit from my research and what Connie told me," I said while I handed him my résumé. "I have a business degree fro Case Western Reserve University. I have lots of experience with purchasing, accounting, budgets, and payroll. I was in charge of that for the lingerie department at E.E. Martin."

Ranger pushed his aviators on top of his head and skimmed my résumé. "What type of experience do you have with—" His question was cut off by a large explosion. I turned around and saw that my car was a ball of fire.

"Un-freaking-believable!" I exclaimed. I hit my speed dial #2 to call Joe.

"Hey, I got a problem," I told Joe when he answered.

"What's up Cupcake? Want to grab Pinos tonight and watch the Yankees?" he asked. I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Um…my car exploded. I don't know what happened…I was in the diner when it happened…" my voice trailed off. I was really at a loss for words. At least I was calm. If nothing else, this interview will show Ranger I am not a "hysterical female" during a crisis. Sigh.

"What diner?" Joe asked with his serious cop voice. I heard the siren go on in his car.

"Greasy Spoon," I replied.

"See you in less than five!" And he hung up on me without a good-bye. What is up with poor phone manners? I thought. Angie would have a coronary if she knew he just hung up on me like that…. Crap! I am in an interview, I reminded myself.

I turned back and looked at Ranger. He raised his right eyebrow, asking me silently if I knew why my car blew up.

"I have no idea," I said. "Kind of sucks…I just paid it off in the last year." I sighed.

Joe screeched into the parking lot, kojo light flashing in his POS cop car. He ran in, yelling "Cupcake!" I gave a half-hearted finger wave to him, turning my eyes back to my car. My pretty blue little Miata was getting doused with water from the fire department. Sigh.

Joe gave me a quick once over, relieved to see that I was ok. He kissed the top of my head, but continued to hug me. "You ok?" he asked.

"Yep. I was just sitting here, talking to Ranger about a job…and BOOM! I didn't see anything. My back was to the door," I said.

"Mañoso," Joe said to Ranger.

"Morelli," Ranger replied.

Wow. Chatty bunch, I thought. Joe let me go.

"Ok, I am going to go look into your car catastrophe," he said, shaking his head. "Only you, Cupcake. Only you…." Joe walked away, running his fingers through his hair, his tell sign that he was worried about me.

I looked over at Ranger. He raised an eyebrow again, in silent question. I was not sure if he was asking me who Joe was or why he called me Cupcake or why Joe said, "Only you, Cupcake…."

"Yes?" I questioned him.

"You have a Trenton PD cop on speed dial?" he asked.

"Hmm? Oh yeah. We've been best friends since I was 6 and he was 8. There might have been a few lost years when he was in the Navy and I was in college…" I replied absently, staring at the torched remains of my car. I figured he didn't need to hear about my nickname or the Buick incident.

"How did you get the nickname Cupcake?" he asked.

Sigh. He would have to ask that.

"Um, I worked at Tasty Pastry in high school and he said it was fitting because I was sweet and good to eat," I mumbled. I blushed again. This was the most screwed up interview ever.

"I feel like there is more to this story, Babe," Ranger said. He gave me the look that told me I had to tell him. I thought he would make a good interrogator. Hold up! Did he just call me "Babe"? Focus, Stephanie! Remember, this is an interview...sort of.

"There is. Let's just say, I took care of it a couple years later when I had the chance. Right after I graduated high school and he was on leave from the Navy, I saw him. I jumped the curb with my dad's Buick and hit him. Broke his left leg, but I swear, he deserved it! We mended fences when he left the Navy and joined the TPD," I said.

Ranger actually laughed loudly, when I said I hit Joe with my dad's Buick. He had a full smile on his face.

He was truly gorgeous. When he smiled, I swear I couldn't breathe. It should be illegal to be that handsome. Sigh.

He held out his hand and said, "You're hired." I must have gone slack-jawed. He gently pushed my chin up so my mouth closed.

"Th-thanks!" I stuttered. "I certainly didn't expect to be hired after…after _that_," I pointed to the smoking charbroiled remains of my car. I am sure I continued to look stunned. It is not every day a girl sees her car explode and then is offered a job 10 minutes later. I sighed again. "Plus, I kind of admitted to purposely hitting Joe with a car…."

"You remained completely calm during the explosion, the realization that it was your car and then you called a cop within seconds. I need someone in the office who can remain calm during crises. We are a security company. There are always stressful situations. You displayed great composure. You have the business acumen if you were handling the entire lingerie business department of E.E. Martin within two years of graduating college. And I know you were not involved in the money laundering, so I won't hold working at E.E. Martin against you. If your best friend is Morelli, you can obviously handle yourself when it comes to alpha males, and RangeMan is made up of a lot of them. Plus, I kind of approve of you hitting him with your dad's Buick," he explained, shoulders shaking while he silently laughed again about my hit and run. "How about we give the cops our statements quickly considering we have nothing to tell them and then I can show you where the building is located, you can meet the rest of the staff, and we can go over your contract and benefits."

We walked into the parking lot. Carl Costanza and my cousin by marriage, Eddie Gazarra, walked up and each gave me hugs and kisses on the top of my head.

"How you doing, kiddo?" Carl asked.

"Ehhh, you know, I am fine. Same shit, different day and all that jazz," I said nonchalantly. I was surprising myself with how calm I was. Carl and Eddie laughed at me.

"Nothing ever fazed you. We should have expected you would be as cool as a cucumber. You didn't even scream or freak out when you broke your arm when you tried to fly when you were a kid," Eddie said. "Now, what can you tell us about your car? Do you know who would do this?"

Ranger and I each gave our statements. He then guided me to his Porsche Turbo 911. I gave out a little moan of delight sliding into the car. He got in and shot me a 200-watt smile.

"So you tried to fly when you were a kid, Babe?" Ranger asked me. I mentally groaned.

RPOV:

I was sitting in the Greasy Spoon Diner, waiting for Stephanie Plum to arrive. I was interested to meet her. Connie had gone out of her way to help me when I started picking up skips, trying to build capital to start RangeMan. She never once asked for a favor in the four years that I have known her. For her to actually ask to call in her favor for her friend was telling, especially since it was for Vinnie's cousin. Connie might be Family and work for Vinnie, but she is a good person and a good judge of character.

I did a cursory search on Stephanie Plum before I left the office. I saw her finances, and I could see her savings were quickly depleting without an income. I knew for a fact that she was not involved with the money laundering at E.E. Martin since I helped the FBI collect the incriminating information to indict those involved, not that I would tell Stephanie of my involvement in closing down her former employer. I knew about her divorce from Richard "Dickie" Orr and his infidelities. Their divorce was very contentious and made the gossip column in the local newspaper for two weeks. As a policy, we at RangeMan try to keep a low profile and avoid the newspaper at all costs. I figured I would go with my gut feeling after interviewing her.

And then _she_ walked in. It was the girl with the crazy grandmother from Stiva's last night. Immediately my gut was saying to hire her, but I still need to interview her to get a better feeling, intellectually speaking. Looks-wise I was feeling incredibly turned on.

I was pleasantly surprised that she could joke about last night. Most good-looking women would be mortified about landing on their ass in front of a good-looking guy (not to be conceited, just stating fact), especially when it involves crazy family members. Her grandmother is most certainly crazy. I had never seen anyone try to open a casket at a closed casket funeral. Hopefully she didn't inherit the crazy gene. Hm…she might be good at doing distractions for us…the ones that we would actually plan out; that's something to think about.

She had just started selling herself and she was doing a good job when her car blew up. While I felt badly that her car blew up, it was actually a perfect test. She kept calm. I could tell she was shocked, but she handled incredibly well. She called a cop within seconds, gave her location, stated what happened. There was no hysteria. I would have been happier if her best friend wasn't Joe Morelli. He is a good cop and seems like a decent guy except for the fact that even I know about his love life. His indiscretions are well known, which makes it interesting that his best friend is a gorgeous woman who had a well-publicized divorce caused by infidelities. I was curious about her "tastes sweet and good to eat" explanation regarding Morelli's nickname for her. I would have to see if I could find out more about that. The fact that she retaliated years later for an unexplained affront by hitting him with her dad's Buick is hilarious…. It shows a lot of spunk. Even more amazing is that she and Morelli got past that. I think she is going to be good for RangeMan.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chpt. 3**

SPOV:

I can't believe I am going to say this, but I am glad that Ranger was quiet during the car ride to the RangeMan building on Haywood. I don't think I would have been able to hold a conversation being in that close of proximity to him. He smelled A-MAZ-ING. It was manly—spicy and woodsy with a hint of leather. It seemed to epitomize what little I knew about him. I was kind of relieved when we parked in the garage below the building because I would escape the car and hopefully regain my ability to think about more than how amazing he smelled.

He used his key FOB to enter the building. He told me there was a sub-basement and that was the gun range was located. The first floor had the public's entrance, waiting area, and a large conference room that they used when they had meetings with law enforcement agencies. The second floor had the gym, the third floor had the infirmary and more conference rooms. He told me the fourth floor had apartments for staff, which piqued my interest, especially considering I was now carless. He hit the button for the fifth floor where the offices and cubicles were located. He informed me that the sixth floor had two apartments, one for Ella, the housekeeper and cook for all of RangeMan, and another apartment for visitors from other offices. The seventh floor held his apartment. He said that in order to get up to the seventh floor the elevator required special permissions added to the key FOB each employee received.

We got off on the fifth floor and he guided me into his office. He called three other employees into his office. I was beginning to feel incredibly nervous again. I had three new people to win over. Sigh. In walked three of the most gorgeous men. Seriously, do you have to be insanely good-looking to work here? And if so, how the heck did I get hired?!

Ranger introduced me as the new office manager to his "Core Team," made up of Les, Tank, and Bobby. Les was almost as stunning as Ranger, but with brilliant emerald eyes that sparkled with merriment, and a slightly taller and leaner but still very defined frame. Ranger and Les looked like they could be brothers. Tank had dark chocolate colored skin and a shaved head. He had to have been 6'6" and built just like his nickname. Bobby was just as spectacular with milk chocolate skin, hazel eyes, and huge biceps. I wondered if Ranger had thought about selling RangeMan action figures. Everyone looked like G.I. Joe in the flesh.

"Nice to meet you," said Tank with a small smile.

"Guys! This is Beautiful from Stiva's last night!" exclaimed Les to Tank and Bobby. I felt my face heat up at being called "Beautiful" and that he recognized me from Stiva's. I hadn't noticed him there, not that I really had much of a chance while I was trying to stop yet another funeral disaster, Grandma Mazur style. "You made our job easy last night."

"I am glad I made someone's night last night," I said with a small smile, my cheeks still burning with my mortification. "I take it you were somewhere in Slumber Room Two last night?"

"Yep!" smiled Les. "While your granny was wreaking havoc I quietly cuffed Nahori and guided him from Stiva's. How are you with self-defense?"

"Um, I have three moves—huge, heavy purse to the head, elbow to the gut, and knee to the balls," I replied. "Why do you ask?"

Les looked over at Ranger. They seemed to be having a silent conversation. If I had not been paying such close attention I doubt I would have caught Ranger's almost imperceptible nod to Les. "Part of what we do at RangeMan is pick-up people who are fail to appear to their court hearings, also known as FTAs or skips. Sometimes we get tips that our skips will be located at public locales. In certain cases it is safer for the public and for the rest of the team if we have somebody act as a distraction, so to speak. Either we create a fantastic scene like you and your grandmother did last night or have somebody lead the skip out of the building. Essentially we would use you to entice the skip to leave the populated area to wherever the rest of the team would be located. We call this type of game plan 'distractions,'" Les explained.

"So what you are saying is that I would be bait. Right?" I questioned.

"In less flattering terms, yes, but we would pay for your distraction wardrobe," Les replied, raising his eyebrows up and down. I had to laugh at that.

"And this wardrobe would include…?" I asked. If I got some FMPs out of working a distraction the risk might be worth it. Plus it would be change from typical office work. That would be exciting.

"Clothes, shoes, purses, etc.," replied Ranger, "but we would not put you in a distraction until we were satisfied you could defend yourself. Self-defense is actually one of the items I had on the agenda to go over with you and the rest of the Core Team." I raised my eyebrows. "Even though you would be working primarily in Haywood, occasionally you might have to go out of the office. We require all employees to be trained in self-defense, first aid, and weapons. When leaving the building on RangeMan business, you will be required to carry a gun. We will help you get your carry concealed license."

"You do realize I am completely inept in basically everything you listed, right? I can only do CPR because my sister required me to get certified for when I babysit for her," I replied.

"Yeah, Babe. We will provide all of the training. In addition to what I just mentioned, we also require that all of our employees exercise on a regular basis. You have to do cardio at least five days a week and weight train three days a week," continued Ranger.

I stopped myself from sighing aloud. I knew this was too good to be true. Carry a gun? Really? I am just going to be an office manager. And _exercise_? I _hate_ exercise. Loathe, despise, abhor, scorn…I could not find a word strong enough to express my disdain. Stop Stephanie! Remember, this is a job and I need a job, I reminded myself. Just think of my bank balance and my need for a steady income to buy a new car. Mental sigh. Think positively! This will be good. I should learn self-defense anyway and I could stand to lose the ten pounds I gained when I started working at E.E. Martin. Now I don't have an excuse. Good pep talk! I told myself.

"Okay," I said taking a deep breath. "I can do this. Just please be patient when you guys are teaching me. Everything you listed is completely out of my wheelhouse."

"I know that, Babe, but we will provide you with the training. I am sure that you will have no problem learning. Plus the main focus of your job is for you to handle the office, paperwork, and a lot of the business items like purchasing, accounts payable, and payroll," replied Ranger. "Bobby, can you create a Stephanie's training schedule?"

"Sure, no problem Ranger," replied Bobby. "Nice to meet you, Stephanie. Sorry I didn't say that earlier, but it is hard to get a word in edgewise with Les in the room. Do you mind if we get together before Monday so I can evaluate your physical endurance?" Bobby winked at me when he mentioned Les.

"That should be fine, Bobby. We can set up a time after we are done here?" I asked. "I am sure you have to look at your schedule. I am free all day tomorrow." Bobby shook his head affirmatively.

"Tank, will you take over discussing the benefits of working at RangeMan? I have a meeting with a client in fifteen minutes," Ranger asked Tank. He gave a slight nod and stood up. I stood up to follow him out of the office.

"Ranger, thank you for giving me the opportunity to work here. I really appreciate it. Nice meeting you guys," I said giving a finger wave good-bye and followed Tank out of the office to discuss job benefits.

Tank explained all the typical employee benefits – health, dental, and life insurance policies, workers' compensation, disability insurance, discounts on home security systems, and the employee 401K plan. I paid attention as I would need to know about the benefits to take advantage of them, but yuck! Benefits are so boring! There is a reason why I hated every human resources class I had to take in college.

I was so thankful when Tank explained that there are apartments available to rent on the fourth floor and that rent was deducted directly from the employee's paycheck. He also stated that Ella cleans and does laundry for all of the apartments in addition to taking care of the building, Ranger's apartment, and cooking for the staff. When I found out rent was $200 cheaper than my current apartment and came with a housekeeper, I was sold. Tank said there was a recently vacated apartment and if I wanted to take it, I could move in tomorrow. Tank showed me the apartment that was available to rent, 4D. It was a decent sized, fully furnished, one bedroom apartment decorated in slightly masculine neutrals. In addition to the key FOB to the apartment, Tank also gave me the keys to a company Ford Explorer to use until I purchased a new car. That also solved my transportation problem. Alleluia!

I decided that, all in all, if I could get past the whole exercise and carry a gun thing, I found a good place to work! I just needed to go pack up my apartment so that I could get moved in before I started working on Monday. I spent the rest of the night packing up my apartment and cleaning it so I could get my safety deposit back.

RPOV:

When Tank and Stephanie left my office to discuss benefits, I looked over at Les and motioned for him to remain and close the door to my office. "While I was interviewing Stephanie, hell, we had just started the damn thing, her car blew up in the parking lot. I need you to investigate this for me. We need to know if she will need someone with her for her protection or if this was a fluke."

"If you are having me investigate this, you obviously don't think this is a fluke," Les responded. "Did she have any idea who would want to hurt her?"

"Not the slightest. I have a feeling that you might get more information about who would want to hurt her from Morelli," I replied.

"What did I do recently that you are punishing me with this? Seriously? You want me to willingly talk to Morelli?" whined Les. "Couldn't you just punish me with mat time instead?"

"You are not being punished, but you are tempting me with mat time if you continue whining, _primo_ [cousin]. I asked you to look into this because you have more informants in this town than anyone else in this office. I told you to talk to Morelli because he is one of Stephanie's closest friends, since apparently childhood. He was whom she called immediately. I think he is heading up the investigation," I told Les. I had to stop myself from sighing when I told Les of Stephanie's friendship with Morelli. Some small part of me hated that they were close friends, that he could hug her after the trauma of her car exploding. Watching Morelli hug her made my stomach feel acidic, a very strange feeling for me. I would have to contemplate that later.

I gave Les a hand motion to show that he was dismissed. I needed to quickly review for my meeting with a client in ten minutes in Conference Room 3. I could not let my business come to a stop just because I had a weird desire to protect Stephanie and get involved in her life.


	4. Chapter 4

Chpt. 4

SPOV:

I spent most of last night packing and cleaning my apartment. I had never been so motivated to pack and clean before. I hated my current apartment. I rented it when I left Dickie and wasn't exactly thinking of the accommodations when I moved. All I was thinking of was getting away from that cheating, rat bastard and the many ways I could get retribution. The RangeMan apartment was so much nicer, newer, and wow! That bathroom was so much nicer than the brown and orange monstrosity in my current apartment. I bet they have better water pressure, too. It is the small things in life, like good water pressure that make a person happy.

Right then I heard a knock at my door and then it unlocking. "You ready to get this show on the road, Cupcake?" Joe called out while he walked through my door with a Tasty Pastry bag.

"Oh my God! I love you!" I said launching myself onto Joe, wrapping my arms and legs around him. "You are a god. A Tasty Pastry providing god!" I gave him a quick, friendly kiss on the lips and then let go of Joe, grabbing the bag of Boston Cream donuts. I took a bite and moaned, my eyes rolling back in my head.

"This is practically orgasmic," I moaned, taking another bite of my beloved morning breakfast.

"I could always help you with that," Joe said winking at me. I snorted.

"I am sure you could and then you would sprint out the door, pulling up your pants," I replied grabbing two mugs from the box labeled "Kitchen."

"I wouldn't do that to you. You are different. You are special," Joe said, grabbing the coffee pot and pouring us both some coffee. He gave me The Look, the one he gives all of his right-for-the-night conquests.

"And that right there is why we would never happen," I said, pointing and wiggling my finger at his face. "You're giving me 'The Look'. Besides, even if you didn't turn it into a one night thing and tried a committed relationship, you would cheat on me. You have cheated on every single girlfriend you have ever had. Hell you cheated on Terri with _me _in the Tasty Pastry!"

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" sighed Joe.

"I have forgiven you, but I don't trust you not to break my heart causing me to lose a boyfriend and my best friend of 18 years. You are too valuable to lose," I replied.

"What if I could commit?" Joe asked, sipping his coffee and munching on a donut.

"I would love it, but I don't think it is in the Morelli genes, at least not until you hit 30 and start dying to start your own little Morelli clan," I said. I softened my voice and then said, "Joe, you know I love you. I could easily fall in love with you, but I know you better than you know yourself. I don't want to lose you by making a dumb decision and rushing into a relationship when you have such huge commitment issues. I would be lost without you…." I started getting a little teary-eyed. "I was lost without you when we had our 'lost years' and I don't want to go through that again. I can't."

Joe put his mug of coffee down, and pulled me into his arms. He kissed the top of my head, hugging me tightly. "I am so sorry for that, you know. If I could take the whole thing back and done things right, I would. I was lost without you, too," Joe said.

"Let's start loading the Explorer so I can get moved in before noon," I said, changing the subject. I hate talking about feelings, preferring to eat my emotions rather than express them. "And thanks for letting me keep my bed at your house. Just make sure none of your skanky one-night stands sleep on it. I don't want to have to replace my mattress when I move out of RangeMan."

"No problem, Cupcake. It is going in the guestroom. I still can't believe you are going to work for Manoso and live in his building. Are you sure this is a good idea? The guy is a mercenary, a total loose cannon, Steph," Joe said. He had not been thrilled with my taking a job at RangeMan and told me so last night. Despite this, I knew he was still being supportive and trying to look out for me.

"I am sure, Joe. And I really don't think he is a loose cannon. Honestly, he seems crazy controlled, totally unflappable. Every other person in the diner was freaking out and he was beyond calm. I can't see someone who is that in control of his emotions be a loose cannon. Besides, I have a company car until I can get a new one and my commute to work is an elevator ride up one floor. And did I mention a housekeeper? Oh, and I bet the building has good water pressure…." My voice trailed off. I likely had a dreamy expression on my face.

"You could still live with me. I have good water pressure. You come and use it once a week as is. Hell, you have your own hair and beauty products stashed in the bathroom. All you need to do is move your clothes and bed to my place," Joe continued to push.

"Joe," I said in a warning tone. I finished off my coffee, mentally counting to 10 in my head so that I would keep calm and not yell at him. The hot-headed Italian in me wanted to scream and make wild hand gestures.

"Fine. I will shut up now," he sighed, grabbing a box. Thankfully we finished moving all the boxes into the Explorer in an hour.

Fifteen minutes later I pulled into the intercom at the garage. I had not thought to check to make sure that Joe could come into the building. I figured I should check first; I didn't want to start off on a bad foot with the boss(es) by bringing Joe into the building without clearance. I hit the button on the intercom, "Hey, this is Stephanie, the new office manager. I am moving in today and I have a friend, Joe Morelli, with me. Can he come in the building and help me move in?"

A minute later the intercom squawked. "Hey Beautiful! Yeah, Joe can come in, but can't go past the fourth floor. A few of us will meet you down in the garage to help move you in quickly," Les said. I FOB'ed my way into the garage feeling better now that I got Joe clearance to come into the building. As I exited the car five huge guys came into the garage. I recognized Les immediately, but I had not met the other four yet.

"Hey Beautiful! This is Cal, Hal, Ram, and Manny," Les said introducing the guys. I knew I would remember Cal, as he was unforgettable with his flaming skull tattoo on his forehead.

"Hi guys! I am Steph. I am sure we will get to know each other well," I said smiling at them. "This is my friend, Joe Morelli. He is here to help me move also. I really appreciate you guys coming down to help me. Can I take you guys out for lunch as a thank you?"

Cal, Ram, and Manny looked at each other with huge grins on their faces. "Shorty's!" they yelled out in unison. Hal just looked at me a blushed. Les smiled at me.

"I think you just made four new friends, Beautiful," he said, grabbing a box from the back. Everyone grabbed a box, carrying it with ease up to my new apartment. The guys managed to carry everything in two trips.

Now this is how everyone should move! I thought to myself. Six sexy guys carrying my boxes like they weigh next to nothing was kind of a turn on. Dear lord! Maybe moving into RangeMan was a bad idea. I don't know if I will be able to keep my hormones in check. I need to check to see if my bathroom has a shower massager before Joe leaves. If not, I will have to beg him to go to Home Depot to grab me one and then give him doe eyes to install it for me.

"Are we still on for lunch guys?" I asked as they were leaving my apartment.

"Yeah, meet at noon in the garage. Does that sound okay to you?" Les asked.

"Perfect!" I said giving them a huge smile. Hal blushed again and hightailed it to the staircase. I looked at Les and asked, "Did I do something to freak out Hal?"

Les laughed, "No, he is just very shy, especially when it comes to women. See you in a couple hours!"

Lunch at Shorty's was fun; it was really nice to get to informally know a few guys. That way I would have some friendly faces when I met everyone else on Monday morning. I determined that Les was a complete flirt. Poor Hal could barely answer my questions without dying of embarrassment. I decided I would try to help him become more comfortable being around women. Manny was quiet, but seemed very sweet and had a very nice smile. Ram had a wicked sense of humor and his eyes seemed to constantly sparkled with amusement. Cal, with his flaming skull tattoo, was a big surprise. He was actually quite friendly and with one of the most gorgeous smiles I have ever seen. I figured it would take time to find out why he tattooed a "Don't Mess With Me" sign on his forehead. Despite Joe's assertions that the RangeMen were questionable at best, he got along really well with Manny and Ram.

I went up to the bar and paid the tab for lunch. When I turned around I saw Joe and Les talking and they looked serious. I wondered what that was about. Hopefully they will become friends or at least friendly. I had a gut feeling that Les could become close friend….

Joe wanted to take off when we returned to RangeMan. He wanted to catch a few hours sleep before working the night shift. As he explained it to me once, "Friday nights are ripe with murders. If I work at night, I am less likely to get called in off-shift since most guys like the day shift." I gave Joe a big hug and a kiss on the cheek good-bye.

"Take care, Cupcake. If you need anything, call me immediately. I don't care what it is," Joe told me.

"What do you think is going to happen to me in this building? It has more security than the White House!" I exclaimed quietly.

"I don't know, but I don't know all the guys and you will be the only single woman living in the building…" his voice trailed off.

"I love you. Thank you for your concern. I will be ok," I gave him another hug.

"Love you, too, Cupcake!" he said, climbing into a Ford Explorer with Hal and Ram. They were going to drop him off at my old apartment so he could pick up his truck.

I went back to my apartment and started unpacking. First thing I unpacked was my iMac, needing some music to keep me energized. I realized then that I had no idea how to get onto their wireless network. I figured now was as good of a time as any to pop up to the fifth floor and find out who RangeMan's IT person was. I got off on the fifth floor and the gentle hum of noise suddenly dropped off. The silence was deafening. I waved at the guys and went looking for Ranger, Tank, Les, or Bobby. I felt comfortable asking them since I had already met and talked to them.

The first lit office I found was Ranger's. I knocked on the doorframe, waiting for acknowledgment and permission to enter the office. Ranger looked up and gave me what I coined as the "thinking about smiling" look. "Hey, Babe. How was moving in? I heard some of the guys helped you and that you took them out to Shorty's."

"Yeah, I hope that was ok with you. I just wanted to thank them," I said blushing. "They did not have to help me. It was a great informal welcome to the building and company."

"It was really nice of you to take them out to lunch. Can I help you with anything?" he asked.

"Yes! Actually that is why I came up here today. I was hoping you could tell me who the IT person is? I want to get my computer on the wireless network. I need my Spotify to help me unpack."

"Spotify?" Ranger asked.

"Oh, you don't know what that is! Sorry! It is a music app that you can make playlists and them stream them on your computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone. Music is my best motivator," I explained.

"Sure, our IT and network security person is Hector. His work area is also on the second floor, but I should introduce you first before you venture down there by yourself. He is not the most approachable person," Ranger said getting up. He guided me to the elevator his hand on the small of my back. Again, I felt the tingling when he touched me. I had never reacted so strongly to having physical contact with a man before. Something to think about later I told myself. "He only speaks Spanish so I will have to translate for you."

We chatted about moving into the building, the apartment, and lunch at Shorty's. Well, really, I spoke the majority of the time with a few one-word sentences or questions on Ranger's part. Ranger guided me to a door on the second floor I did not notice when I got my initial tour of the building. He FOB'ed his way in a huge area with what appeared to be every type of technology.

"Hola Hector. Quisiera presentar Stephanie Plum, nuestra directora nueva de la oficina," Ranger said. [Hi Hector. I would like to introduce Stephanie Plum, our new office manager.]

"Mucho gusto. ?Cómo estás?" Hector replied. [Nice to meet you. How are you?]

"Estoy bien," I replied. "Sorry, that is the extent of my Spanish. Maybe you could teach me?" I noticed that Hector had a lot of tattoos, including two teardrops by his right eye. I knew they were gang tattoos and I knew what the teardrops meant, but he wasn't setting my off my spidey sense. He genuinely seemed like a nice guy. I gave him a big smile when I suggested he teach me Spanish. [I am well.]

Ranger translated my suggestion to Hector. He gave me a huge smile. "!Querería enseñarte hablar español!" [I would love to teach you to speak Spanish!] Ranger translated again for me. I would definitely need to learn Spanish. Needing a translator would get old _very_ quickly.

"Stephanie le gustaría usar nuestra red inalámbrica. ?Tienes tiempo par ayudarle?," Ranger told Hector. [Stephanie would like to use our wireless network. Do you have time to help her?]

"Sí," Hector replied with a smile. All three of us went back up to my apartment. Hector had my iMac on wireless in less than a minute. I thanked Ranger for his time and translating and Hector for his assistance. I started my Fall playlist, which had all of my current favorite music on it and started unpacking.

A few hours later I heard a knock on my door. I yelled out, "Come in!" Les poked his head into my apartment. He saw me dancing around while I was unpacking. His face broke out into a huge smile.

"You like to dance Beautiful?" he asked, grabbing my hand, pulling my body to his. He then spun me out and back in. We continued to dance to Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie."

"I love to dance," I said. "It is probably one of the few types of cardio I enjoy."

"We will have to take that into account when we come up with your training," he replied with a smile. "I just came to see how you are settling in and if you need anything. I see Hector must have gotten you on the network already."

"Yeah! Ranger introduced him. He seems likes a really nice guy. I asked him if he would teach me Spanish. I can see it getting really old to always need a translator when talking to Hector," I told Les. He burst out laughing.

"I have never heard anybody describe Hector as a 'really nice guy' after meeting him for the first time. Generally speaking, they are terrified of his tattoos," Les replied, still laughing. "You are special if you actually saw him for who he is and not the tattoos."

"He didn't set off my spidey sense. If he did, then I would stay far away," I responded.

"Spidey sense?" Les questioned.

"Oh, yeah, I guess you don't know me that well yet. I guess you could call it a gut feeling or intuition. Generally it has served me well in the past," I said. "The only real exception was my ex-husband, but I blame being young, stupid, in college, and drunk for my poor judgment." Les laughed again. He had a _great_ laugh.

"We will have to keep you spidey sense in mind. It might come in use at some point," he said seriously.

"You're not making fun of me for it?" I asked.

"No! If there is one thing that most Special Forces people know is that gut feelings are generally right and you should always listen to them. It has saved Ranger's, Tank's, Bobby's, and my asses on numerous occasions!" Les told me. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Most people think I am crazy when I tell them about my spidey sense. Everyone seems so accepting of me here. I was feeling better and better about my decision to work at RangeMan with each conversation with the guys.

"Now, back to fun things! Since you like dancing so much, how about I arrange for a bunch of the guys from here to go out tomorrow night. We can go dancing and you can meet the guys informally. You seemed to like that earlier," he said. I gave him a huge smile.

"That sounds great, Les! Thank you for going out of your way to make me feel welcome here," I said.

"Awesome! Do you want help unpacking?" he asked.

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Nope! Let me just send out a quick email to the guys and contact Razzle's to see if we can get them to block off a large space for us. They normally do since we provide their security," he flashed me a smile and got to work planning Saturday night.

Working here might be the best decision I have made in years, I thought. Best decision….

RPOV:

I was pleasantly surprised that Steph took the guys who helped her move in out to lunch. She did not have to thank them by buying them pizza. Then she won Hector over in less than a minute. I think that was a first. Generally Hector glares at every new person until he decides that they are trustworthy, and that can take months, possibly years even. She did not seem fazed by his tattoos and even asked him to teach her Spanish so she could communicate better with him. She continued to shock me each time we talked. I had not met a more genuine, gracious, intelligent, open-minded woman in some time, maybe ever.

Not good, Mañoso. She can intrigue you all she wants, but remember, you don't do relationships, only one-night stands. She is most definitely not a one-night stand type of girl, not that I would want her to be. She is far too special….

**Ding!** I heard my computer alert me that I had a new email. I gave a quick glance at the little popup window that would clue me in to see if the email was of any importance. Les sent out an email inviting everyone to Razzle's to meet Steph informally tomorrow night. I had this overwhelming urge to strangle Les. He was being too friendly with my Babe for my liking.

Mañoso! You just gave yourself a talking to less than 30 seconds ago. She is not _your Babe_. She is your employee. You don't do relationships. Remember this!

Crap! Les doesn't do relationships either. I sent him a text telling him he had mat time with me in the morning. I would make sure he knew Steph was not on the menu….


	5. Chapter 5

Chpt. 5

SPOV:

I lounged around Saturday during the day. I figured I should enjoy a lazy day while I had the chance. Monday morning my life was changing and I had a feeling I was going to be insanely busy and exhausted until I adjusted to everything. Plus I was going out to Razzle's with everyone, most of whom I had not yet met. I needed to conserve my energy; at least that is what I told myself. I watched Ghostbusters, read some of Vince Flynn's _American Assassin_ (I think Mitch Rapp is a really sexy, tortured character.)_,_ gave myself a manicure and a pedicure with OPI's Malaga Wine, took a long shower (Thank God for good water pressure!), and did my hair and make-up. Once all my prepping for tonight was competed, I ate Ella's amazing food. At 8:30 I finally changed into dark skinny jeans, my tiger print FMPs, and loose red silk halter top that left most of my back exposed. I then spent the next thirty minutes debating if I should change tops since I couldn't wear a bra with it. Is that inappropriate considering I have met less than ten of the guys? I questioned. I had no idea.

I debated so long that I lost track of time and heard someone knocking on my door. I cracked it open and saw Les. I pulled him into my apartment quickly.

"Wow, Beautiful! I didn't realize you missed me that much!" joked Les. His eyes widened when he looked at me. "You look amazing!"

"You don't think this is too much? Is this slutty? I don't want the guys to get the wrong impression of me," I said turning around to show my practically bare back. "Tell me the truth. I can always change tops."

"Beautiful, you look amazing! Don't worry. Besides, the guys would have to be idiots to think you are slutty. They all know Ranger and the rest of the Core Team would not hire someone that would not fit with the rest of the office. A slutty woman, who would likely sleep with a lot of the guys, would not be in the company and this office's best interest," Les reassured me.

"Ok, so you know I am not slutty, but how did you already figure that out?" I asked. Les just looked at me for a good thirty seconds.

"If you were slutty you would have thrown yourself at any of us by now and you have yet to throw yourself at anyone much to many of the guys' chagrin," he explained. "Also you don't seem to be effected by our killer bodies and charming personalities." He gave me a wink and a blinding smile. Good lord! He looks like he is straight out of a Pepsodent commercial. Thank heavens they had no idea that they affected me.

"Now it's time to go!" he exclaimed, grabbing my hand and pulling me out the door.

Les led me down to the parking garage to his personal vehicle, an Alfa Romeo 4C. "Seriously, this is your car?" I squeaked.

Les opened the door for me, "Yes it is. She is my baby. I don't get to drive it very often though, mainly just on the few days I have off. Plus she is a chick magnet." He buckled up and sighed contentedly, giving the dashboard a loving pat.

"Hah! I knew it! You are a man whore aren't you?" I said with a big smile.

"Yeah, I tried reforming a couple times, but relationships just don't do well when one or both members of the couple is in the military. Now it is just habit," he said, flashing a truly brilliant smile. "Plus it is fun, but I promise not to ditch you tonight though. I will make sure you get back to the building."

"I don't know what it is. I seem drawn to man whores," I said pausing for a second, but quickly added, "platonically that is! I have no desire for one night stands ever and dating at this point in time sounds as fun as a root canal without Novocain. I am off men right now. No offense, but currently I have very little faith in men."

Les laughed, "Since you were married to Dickie Orr, I can understand that. Hell, if I was you, Orr might have made me seriously consider playing for the other team. Wait! Have you considered it by chance? And if so, can I join in or just watch?"

I snorted. "He did not make me consider becoming a lesbian. I am just not made that way. You are a walking HR violation. I hope you know that. You are just lucky that one, this is a social night out. Two, I know you are joking and am glad you feel comfortable enough to joke with me. And three, I am pretty laid back about those types of comments which is probably why Joe and I are still good friends."

Les smiled at me again. "You and I are going to be good friends, Beautiful."

Ten minutes later we pulled up to Razzle's. Les opened the door for me. He might be a man whore to other women, but he acted like a gentleman with me. Sadly, this non-date was going better than all of my dates. Ever. I mentally cringed when I realized this. Another thing to add to the list of "Things to Contemplate at a Later Date."

Les guided me to club entrance where there was quite a line. He gave that head nod/chin jut that seems to be a common greeting for guys. The bouncer let us through without having to wait in line. Thank heavens!

"Like I said, we provide security here. They have our security system and on really busy nights two of our guys will be their bouncer. That was Binkie," Les explained.

"Binkie? Like what some parents call their child's pacifier?" I asked. "What type of nickname is that?"

Les burst into laughter. "Is that what people from the Burg call pacifiers?" I shook my head affirmatively. "That is _great_! I can't wait to give him crap about that!" Les looked positively elated.

"What do you call a pacifier in Spanish?" I asked. Les looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Un chupón. Why? Were you serious about wanting to learn Spanish?" Les asked me, giving me an assessing look.

"Well, I did ask Hector to teach me Spanish, so yes. If I ask for help, I am serious. I generally suck at asking for help," I replied.

"I can add that to your training items if you like or we can keep it informal. I know both Hector and I would be happy to teach you, on or off the clock," Les told me with a sweet smile on his face. It wasn't one of his flirtatious, calculated smiles, which could knock a girl off her feet. This was a happy smile.

"How about both?" I asked as Les guided me up the stairs to the VIP area. He just gave me a happy smile, and gave me a kiss on my forehead. I had been so distracted by chatting with Les that I had completely forgotten to be nervous about meeting all the other guys.

Les put his arm around my shoulders and loudly spoke, "Guys! I want to introduce you to our new office manager! This is Stephanie Plum. Get to know her, but if you treat her disrespectfully, we will call you to the mats! Also, she will be the one that does your paychecks; so don't piss her off! I have heard she is dangerous with a Buick." Les gave a mischievous smile at the mention of the Buick.

"Did you talk to Joe?" I asked narrowing my eyes. Les just smiled at me.

"My dad still has a Buick," I threatened.

Les sighed and spoke in my ear so he could be heard above the music. "Yes, I can't believe I am going to say this, but talking to Joe worked in your favor. It made me confident that you could handle working with a bunch of overgrown, hormonal boys trained to be in the USA's Special Forces. You have the spunk and charisma to deal with all of us. Otherwise, I would be watching you back, truly worried that you would be steamrolled by everyone. I know you can hold your own now."

I started walking away, looking over my shoulder. Giving Les my own flirtatious smile I called out, "Good! Now you know I am a force to be reckoned with!" Les threw his head back and laughed.

I got to talk to a lot of the guys. I made sure to talk to Ram, Manny, Cal, and Hal. I didn't want them thinking that I was ignoring them to meet everyone else. I wanted to make sure I kept on the good side of the acquaintances I already made. I tried talking to Hal again, but he just continued to blush and say nothing. I decided this was the perfect time to initiate Mission: Make Hal the Hulk Stop Stuttering or M2H2S2. I grabbed Hal's hand yelling, "Come on! Let's go dance!" Pitbull's "Fireball" was just beginning to play as I dragged Hal to the dance floor.

Mr. Worldwide to infinity  
>You know the roof on fire<br>We gon' boogie oogie oogie, jiggle, wiggle and dance  
>Like the roof on fire<br>We gon' drink drinks and take shots until we fall out  
>Like the roof on fire<br>Now baby get your booty naked, take off all your clothes,  
>And light the roof on fire<br>Tell her, tell her baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby  
>I'm on fire<br>I tell her baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby baby  
>I'm a fireball<br>Fireball  
>I saw, I came, I conquered<br>Or should I say, I saw, I conquered, I came  
>They say the chico on fire and he no liar<br>While y'all slippin' he runnin' the game  
>Now big bang boogie<br>Get that kitty little noogie  
>In a nice nice little shade<br>I gave Suzie a little pat up on the booty  
>And she turned around and said<br>Walk this way  
>I was born in a flame<br>Mama said that everyone would know my name  
>I'm the best (that's right) you've ever had (that's right)<br>If you think I'm burning out, I never am  
>I'm on fire<br>I'm on fire  
>I'm on fire<br>I'm on fire  
>Fireball<br>Fireball  
>Sticks and stones may break my bones<br>But I don't care what y'all say  
>'Cause as the world turns, y'all boys gonna learn<br>That this chico right here don't play  
>That boy's from the bottom, bottom of the map<br>M.I.A. U.S.A.  
>I gave Suzie a little pat up on the booty<br>And she turned around and said  
>Walk this way<br>I was born in a flame  
>Mama said that everyone would know my name<br>I'm the best (that's right) you've ever had (that's right)  
>If you think I'm burning out, I never am<br>I'm on fire  
>I'm on fire<br>I'm on fire  
>I'm on fire<br>Fireball  
>We're taking it<br>We're taking it  
>We're taking it down<br>We're taking it  
>We're taking it<br>We're taking it down  
>We're taking it<br>We're taking it  
>We're taking it down<br>We're taking it  
>We're taking it<br>We're taking it down  
>We're taking it<br>We're taking it  
>We're taking it down<br>We're taking it  
>We're taking it<br>We're taking it down  
>We're taking it<br>We're taking it  
>We're taking it down<br>We're taking it  
>We're taking it<br>We're taking it down  
>Now we're bringing it<br>We're bringing it  
>We're bringing it back<br>We're bringing it  
>We're bringing it<br>We're bringing it back  
>We're bringing it<br>We're bringing it  
>We're bringing it back<br>We're bringing it  
>We're bringing it<br>We're bringing it back  
>We're bringing it<br>We're bringing it  
>We're bringing it back<br>We're bringing it  
>We're bringing it<br>We're bringing it back  
>We're bringing it<br>We're bringing it  
>We're bringing it back<br>Fireball  
>Fireball<br>Tell her baby baby baby baby  
>I'm on fire<br>I tell her baby baby baby  
>I'm a fireball (1)<p>

Surprisingly, Hal could actually dance and surprisingly didn't blush. Go figure. He could put his hands on my hips and dance, but talking was near impossible. Oh the irony, I thought. I managed to get him to dance to Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass" and Maroon 5's "Animals." I couldn't believe that Hal actually had moves.

"How'd you learn to dance so well?" I asked him.

"I have Dance Dance Central for my Xbox 1," he said and didn't turn beet red. Will miracles never cease?!

Hal and I went back to the VIP area. I chatted with some other RangeMen, slowly sipping on my Corona with lime. Some of the guys were finding "Miss Right for Tonight." It was kind of funny. At first I could tell that some of the guys were nervous that I would judge them for picking up girls. Hah! If they only knew about all the times I have gone out with Joe and watching him pick up a different girl every night. Bobby approached me with a shot of tequila and asked me to dance.

I took the shot. Oh boy! I better be careful I thought. Remember, you're a lightweight!

"I would love to dance with you," I said to Bobby. He grabbed my hand and took me back to the dance floor. We danced to Jason Derulo's "Trumpets". I was amused. Bobby was singing along with the part of the song.

(Damn) Is it weird that I hear  
>Angels every time that you moan?<br>Time that you moan  
>Is it weird that your eyes<br>Remind me of a Coldplay song?  
>Coldplay song<br>Is it weird that I hear  
>Trumpets when you're turning me on?<br>Turning me on  
>Is it weird that your bra<br>Remind me of a Katy Perry song? (2)

Bobby was a lot of fun and I laughed a lot dancing with him. He did not take himself seriously and sometimes purposely did stupid moves. I think he liked making me laugh. We started reenacting the scene from Hitch in which Hitch teaches his student, Albert, how to dance. We stumbled back to the VIP area, laughing hysterically. Les shot me a huge grin and Tank was giving me a small smile. Ranger was giving me a completely emotionless face. I briefly wondered if he was regretting his decision to hire me, but then Woody pulled me out to the dance floor to dance to Echosmith's "Coolkids."

"I swear this would have been my theme song if they did Brat Pack stylized movie of my high school years," I told Wood, leaning in closely so I could talk in his ear. He shot me a smile.

"I know what you mean! I was a really late bloomer. I was a complete beanpole until I joined the Army. I didn't even go out on a date during high school. Basic training helped me add some muscle and then I started looking like every other guy my age," he told me. "Thank God! I could finally ask a girl to go out with me and not have her laugh in my face."

"Well, you would never know it to look at you now!" I smiled at him.

Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" started playing and out of nowhere Les showed up. "Come on Beautiful! It is time we danced to our song!" He grabbed me and spun me around so that my back was dancing to his front, his hands on my hips, my hands in the air. We continued dancing to Yerba Buena's "Guajira (I Love U 2 Much)".

"Are you sure you are not a Latina?" he asked me. "You actually know how to move well especially considering are a little white girl from the Burg." He winked at me. I turned around and smiled mischievously.

"No, but I am half Italian. That makes us good lovers and good lovers make good dancers," I winked at him, figuring flirting him was harmless. It was already established he is a player and I don't play _that_ game.

"You are evil, Beautiful. Pure evil!" he groaned. Finished dancing to "Guajira" and went back to the VIP area. I grabbed a bottle of water, knowing I did not want to spend tomorrow, the day before my first day of work at RangeMan, hung over.

"Tequila shots for all RangeMan!" Les yelled out. God help me, I thought. Somebody better bring me The Cure in the morning.

Suddenly Hector was by my side, slammed his shot glass down and grabbed my hand. "!Baila conmigo!" [Dance with me!] He led me out to the dance floor, his body constantly moving to the beat of "Somos de calle" by Daddy Yankee. [We are from the streets] Hector was an amazing dancer, by far the best of the RangeMen I had danced with. As we were dancing, I was repeating to myself "'Baila conmigo' means dance with me!" I guess my Spanish lessons were already commencing, I thought smiling.

I realized that the song had changed and now I had a huge, gorgeous bald man dancing with me. Who knew Tank would be able to move so well? We danced to Ariana Grande's "Love Me Harder" and chatted a little since the song was a little slower. "How do you like meeting all of the guys so far?" Tank asked me.

"They all seem like nice guys," I responded. "I am amazed they can all dance so well! I am really looking forward to working with all of you. I think I am going to learn a lot." I smiled at him. The song changed and I burst out laughing. Tank looked at me questioningly, lifting his right eyebrow.

"We are ***laugh*** dancing to your ***laugh* **namesake," I choked out. "This is 'You're My Star' by Tank." I laughed again. Tank just smiled at me, shaking his head and continued to dance with me, keeping plenty of space between us. We continued to chat about how the guys have been friendly and funny. The song changed and unpredictably there was another RangeMan dancing with me.

Ranger and I danced to Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias' version of "Tchu Tchu Tcha." We danced so closely there was no space between us. I felt like I was on fire.

Oh boy! I thought. You cannot jump your boss, Stephanie! He's your _boss_! Oh lord! He was moving so well. I had never known a man to move his hips like Ranger moved his, nor caress my skin while dancing. The song changed again. Knowing I would want to remember this song I asked, "Ranger, what's this song? I don't know it." He was still holding me closely as we moved our bodies together like one.

"This is 'Me Enamoré' by Bastida," he said, his lips incredibly close to my ear.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means, 'I fell in love,'" Ranger said. I felt the heat from his breath on my ear. Suddenly he kissed the shell of my ear. My body went up in flames.

Oh boy! I thought…I am _in trouble_!

The song changed again, this time to a fast beat. I recognized the song immediately. It was Axwell Ingrosso's "Something New."

I see the dawn of a new beginning  
>This time, this time we can't go home<br>I hear the streets of tomorrow calling  
>I go, I go where you go<br>Cause we belong to something  
>We belong to something new<br>In the mist of the midnight hour  
>You said to me<br>We are, we are a different kind  
>Oh, like we've been kissed by higher power<br>Saying, don't wait, don't wait until it's gone  
>Cause we belong to something,<br>We belong to something,  
>We belong to something new.<br>We belong to something new.  
>We are the ones that will be remembered<br>Singing, this time, this time we can't go home  
>Oh, like we've been kissed by higher power<br>Saying, don't wait, don't wait until it's gone  
>I tell you if you need to know<br>Here is where my heart belongs  
>Silver threads among the gold<br>Kisses over Babylon  
>This is more than a heart can bare<br>Mercy on me  
>We belong to something,<br>We belong to something,  
>We belong to something new.<br>We belong to something new.  
>We belong to something new.<br>We belong to something new.  
>(Belong, belong)<br>We belong to something new.

I somehow felt this song was fitting for Ranger and me. _Something new_ was definitely happening right now….

RPOV:

I met Les on the mats at 0600 this morning. Bobby told me I bruised Les' ribs, but I felt no remorse. Les still needs to learn to keep his hands to himself. I swear he was purposely trying to torment me by dancing with Stephanie to "My Hips Don't Lie" and "Guajira." My cousin has always been liked to antagonize me. It has been his favorite game since we were toddlers. Oddly enough, I still love him and consider him one of my best friends. I suppose that is what happens when you grow up with someone and they save your life in the mountains of Afghanistan.

Stephanie danced with practically every RangeMan employee. Tank kept me supplied with 30-year-old scotch. It kept me from pummeling all of my employees. _I really_ _need to get a grip_.

The only employee I didn't want to hurt was Hector, who was gay. Maybe I should only hire gay men so they won't go after my woman. Oh my God. She is _not your woman_, Mañoso! She is your damned _office manager_! Maybe I needed to go in the wind to get away from her. That would help. I would have to check our secure email when we get back….

I decided it was my turn to dance with Stephanie. It was possibly the most sexual experience I have ever had while being fully clothed and we were not trying to pleasure each other. I felt like "Me Enamoré" and "Something New" were fitting songs for us. Consciously, I had not been looking for someone to fall in love with, but I think subconsciously I had been. I just wanted a little bit of her time…and it was so amazing to find her. Ever since I encountered her in the funeral home, I felt connected to her. It was the most surreal, mind-blowing response to a woman that I had ever experienced. This thing with my Babe was something new, so new. How we danced, how we looked at each other…I had a feeling we would follow each other through the Gates of Hell just to be together. Oh God...I can't taint her with everything I have seen and done and will do in the future.

Where's Tank? I need more scotch.

* * *

><p>(1) "Fireball" performed by: Pitbull, John Ryan<br>Writer(s): Ilsey Juber, Eric Frederic, Andreas Schuller, Armando Christian Perez, Tom Peyton  
>Copyright: Reach Global Inc., Abuela Y Tia Songs, SonyATV Songs LLC, Lord Boyce, Honua Songs, The Viking Pimp Music, Artist 101 Publishing Group, Sparko Phone Music, Songs From The Boardwalk

(2) "Trumpets" performed by: Jason Derulo  
>Writer(s): Jason Joel Desrouleaux, Jonathan David Bellion, Jonathan Bellion<br>Copyright: Jason Derulo Publishing, Art In The Fodder Music, Songs Of A Beautiful Mind, Beluga Heights Music, Irving Music Inc.

(3) "Something New Lyrics" performed by: Axwell Λ Ingrosso.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! It is great knowing you guys are enjoying the story :) I will try to continue updating regularly, but it might be more difficult for the next two weeks, with Christmas, New Year's, and lots of family time. Happy holidays everyone!

Chpt. 6

SPOV:

I woke up Sunday morning at 10:00 Bill Conti's "Gonna Fly Now," Rocky's theme song, and the ringtone I assigned Joe whose nickname in the Burg is the "Italian Stallion."

"Please tell me you love me so much that you brought me The Cure," I answered the phone. Oh God, my head. Why did I do so many tequila shots? Damn Les.

"I love you and brought you your so-called 'Cure'," Joe said. "Now come let me in. I am at the main entrance and this guy won't let me in."

"Gimme a few minutes. I am sure my hair looks like Marge Simpson right now and I would prefer not to scare my new coworkers," I said, slowly getting out of bed. Damn headache. "Bye."

I tamed my hair into a messy bun, washed my face, put on a bra, a CWRU sweatshirt, yoga pants, and sunglasses. I slowly walked down to the elevator so I could collect Joe. When the doors opened, Joe looked at me and laughed. "You know you're pathetic, right Cupcake?"

"Mmmmhmmm. Please gimme The Cure," I murmured. Talking any louder than that made my head hurt. "And please talk quietly. I swear there is a construction crew in my head using jackhammers." Joe just shook his head at me, smiling.

"Is this what you were like in college?" he asked me.

"Yes, but a few shots of tequila didn't effect me then like it does now. I have no tolerance anymore," I said as the elevator rose to the fourth floor. We walked down the hallway to my apartment. It was incredibly quiet. I figured everyone else was sleeping off last night as well.

We plopped on my couch and Joe turned on the television, flipping channels while I drank my Coke and ate my fries. "Do you mind if we watch baseball?" Joe asked.

"I don't care what we watch," I replied, "just as long as you rub my head and don't yell at the TV." Joe patted his lap, silently telling me to put my head in his lap so he could rub it. "I love you. Thanks for taking care of me," I said some thirty minutes later just before I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up a few hours later, my head still in Joe's lap. Best friend a girl could have, I thought. We spent the rest of the day being lazy and watching baseball. I only left my apartment twice, once to pick up the pizza that I ordered from Pino's and the other time to walk Joe downstairs. I was thankful that I felt normal by the time I went to sleep Monday night. I knew 5:30 AM would come too soon.

I dragged myself out of bed, threw on workout clothes and sneakers, and grabbed my iPhone and a bottle of water on my way out the door. How the hell do they get up this early to workout every day? I closed my eyes as I leaned up against the elevator wall on my way down to the gym, trying to catch another minute of sleep. Sadly, the elevator got to the second floor too quickly for my liking.

Bobby met me at the gym entrance with a smile. Seriously, how could he be happy this early in the morning? I gave him a sleepy smile that came off more as a grimace. "Not a morning person, Steph?" he asked.

"Not even close. I don't believe in being awake or having full conversations this early in the morning," I answered. "I will adjust, I am sure…." My voice trailed off in a yawn.

Bobby laughed, "Alright, come on Grumpy Dwarf. Hop on the treadmill. I am going to have you jog and walk every other minute for three miles."

"Can I listen to music on my iPhone while I am on the treadmill? I need something to help me wake up. Wait did you just call me Grumpy Dwarf?" I asked.

"Yup! You are grumpy and you are tiny compared to the rest of us. And yes, you can use your iPhone. Just keep an ear bud out so I can talk to you if need be."

"Couldn't I be Snow White instead?" I asked.

"Nope! Pretty sure that Snow White was unable to give looks that could kill first thing in the morning," Bobby said, winking at me and hopping on the treadmill next to me.

I started to listen to my Fall 2014 Relaxation playlist on Spotify. I figured since I wasn't running at a fast speed this playlist would help keep me at good speeds. Bobby ran next to me. I kept glancing over at him amazed he could run that fast without huffing and puffing.

Ranger, Les, and Tank came into the gym at 6:00. Ranger and Tank nodded at me. Les bounced over to me, "Hiya, Beautiful! How are you doing?" Les was way too perky this morning. He reminded me a little of Tigger. Way. Too. Upbeat.

"I am ok, you?" I said, a yawn making its way out. He laughed.

"You are not a morning person, are you?" he asked.

"Not even close," I replied.

"Try to have fun! Time for me to get my sweat on!" he called as he bounced over to another treadmill.

"Is he always like that this early in the morning?" I asked Bobby.

"Pretty much," he replied. "His exercising first thing in the morning does wonders though. If he didn't exercise first thing in the morning, he would bounce off the walls all day long and one of us would likely strangle him in frustration. The rest of us exercise first thing so we make fit it in our day. The Army and Navy trained us to get up and exercise first thing in the morning."

Bobby and I did our cool down on the treadmill. He explained that he was going to teach me how to use the different weight machines and free weights, telling me he also had a binder that had charts so I could keep track of my progress.

By 7:00 I had already done 3 miles on the treadmill, albeit at a snail's pace, and lifted weights. I was exhausted; my arms and legs felt like Jell-o™. I got ready for my first day of work, all the while wishing I could take an hour nap. How do they do this every day?

I dressed in one of my black business suits with a blue silk shell underneath and black four-inch heels. I tamed my hair into submission, pulling half of it back so it would not get in my face during the day, and did some natural makeup, making sure to cover the dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep. By 8:00 I made it up to the fifth floor. Tank met me at elevator and guided me to Ranger's office where the rest of the Core Team was assembled.

"Morning Babe. Most mornings at 0800 the Core Team gathers in my office and we go over any items we think the other members of the team need to know. I would like you to meet with us on Tuesday and Thursday mornings so you can update us as to the status of different office items, whether that is supplies, scheduling, payroll, client complaints, etc. and then we can communicate with you any important items. I would also like you to be involved with client meetings. I think going to two client meetings a week would be sufficient to get you comfortable with them. You will back up the Core Team's client meetings when one of us is out of the office for an extended period of time. Now Bobby has your training schedule for fitness, self defense and sparring, and the gun range," Ranger said.

"Steph, here is a printed copy of you schedule. I have cardio every morning of the workweek, weights Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and then self defense every Tuesday, Thursday after your cardio. Since you are not a morning person, I scheduled the gun range from 1600-1700 on Tuesdays and Thursdays," Bobby said, giving me a smile when mentioning that I am not a morning person. Winking, he said, "I figured guns first thing in the morning might be dangerous. I will handle your cardio and weight training. Ranger and Tank will handle your self defense and sparring, and Les will teach you gun safety, how to use your gun, and how to use a multitude of other weapons once you are comfortable with your gun."

I took the copy of my schedule, "Ok, that sounds good," I said giving them all a smile.

"Now I will show you to your office Babe and will go over some of the different databases we have. After that, Tank will show you our payroll system, and Les will go over making the schedule," Ranger told me. With that we all filed out of his office to do our different tasks.

"See you in a bit, Beautiful," called Les over his shoulder.

The office Ranger showed me was quite spacious for an office manager's space. I had a large L-shaped desk in a dark cherry, an ergonomic desk chair, and two seats across from my desk for visitors. I booted up the computer and Ranger gave me my user name and password, telling me to change my password once he left. Ranger moved on of the guest chairs so that we could both see the computer. He was sitting so close that I could smell his cologne. It took my all to pay attention when he was showing me the different databases they had in place. I figured I would use them for a few months so that I could fully evaluate them (while not half-drunk on Ranger's scent) before making any suggestions or changes with them.

I then met with Tank who was gleeful to be rid of doing payroll. I couldn't figure out why he dreaded doing payroll so much until he showed me the program they used. That right there would be one of the first changes I would make, if possible.

It was interesting to meet with Les in his office. His serious demeanor was such a 180 from his personality outside of work. Going over scheduling, partners, and general planning for the month was complicated. We worked together until noon, not even realizing how much time had gone by. Bobby poked his head in Les' office, "Hey, lunch meeting with the Core Team since we didn't have our normal meeting. Steph, why don't you come along so you can get accustomed to them?"

"Sure," I replied following Les and Bobby out of Les' office. The break room had platters of fresh fruit, sandwiches, and a couple of crockpots with different soups in them. I was disappointed to see that dessert was missing from the lunch spread. I guess fruit will have to do, I thought to myself. I grabbed a turkey and Swiss cheese on whole-wheat sandwich, a bowl of fruit, and a bottle of water and followed the guys into Ranger's office.

I listened to them discuss the different FTAs that were coming close to forfeiting the bond, last quarter's profits, and the topic of opening another office. They decided to look into three different cities: Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Detroit. They already had three other offices on the East Coast and wanted to expand westward.

"Steph, can you start researching the different cities? We need to know about their socioeconomics and the most advantageous areas in those cities to open an office. Once we decide on a city, we will have you look for different buildings to purchase," Tank said to me.

"Sure, not a problem," I replied. "I can tell you right off the bat that socioeconomically speaking, Cleveland is in a better position than Detroit. Due to high gas prices and manufacturing costs, Detroit is on a downward spiral. Hell, the city actually declared bankruptcy because it cannot pay the pensions out to the retirees that worked for the city. Cleveland is beginning to bounce back and is becoming more of a foodie and cultural destination and a medical care hub in the Midwest. It just made Buzzfeed's "16 Spectacular Places to Travel in 2015" list. The biggest problem with Cleveland is that all the money so to speak is either in the Westside or Eastside suburbs, not really in the city itself, making it difficult to choose a good strategic location for an office. Pittsburgh is doing better than Cleveland, but finding an office space in the city would be more expensive and more difficult due to limited space."

They all looked at me for a few seconds without speaking. "Um, you guys are staring at me," I said. I was beginning to feel like I had something on my face. None of them displayed any emotions on their faces so I couldn't read them. I started to fidget in my seat.

"How do you know all this off the top of your head, Babe?" Ranger asked.

"Well, I went to Case Western in Cleveland so I actually have quite a few friends in the city. I had to take some urban planning as part of my core curriculum and my classmates and I were all assigned different manufacturing cities. We then had to watch each others' presentations," I replied. "I don't know of any major socioeconomic changes in those three cities in the last couple years, with the exception of Detroit declaring bankruptcy."

"Alright, how about we just look into Cleveland and Pittsburgh then?" Les asked the other Core Team members.

"Agreed," Ranger, Tank and Bobby all echoed.

"Ok, I will gather everything to present to you guys. When do you want the data by?" I asked.

"How about two weeks from tomorrow?" Ranger said.

"Ok, I will have all the information ready to present to you guys then," I said.

With that they wrapped up the lunch meeting. I gather my things to throw away and then go to my office. I had a lot of things to do.

RPOV:

The other Core Team members stayed for a couple minutes after Stephanie left my office. "Hiring Steph might have been the best business decision you have made in the last twelve months, Ranger," said Tank.

"I agree! I swear Beautiful continuously shocks me," Les said. "I thought she would fit in and be able to do the office responsibilities we had assigned her position, but I have a feeling that after being with us for a year or two, she will be doing more for our company than we expected. Provided the information she gathers for us to choose a city to expand to is good, maybe we should include her in our expansion plans. I really think she is going to be a huge asset."

"I cannot believe she just whipped that information out. I don't remember ever paying that much attention when I was in classes. Granted, that might be why I joined the Army," laughed Bobby.

"I know. I was stunned," I said. "I was already planning on giving her a six month evaluation. I think when we review everything, we will be adding to her responsibilities."

Everyone left, but Les. "So you and Beautiful danced together on Saturday. Wow! You guys were _hot_! I knew you were feeling protective of her. Hell, my ribs remind me with every breath, but I had no idea you were interested in her _like that_." Les gave me a huge smile and wiggled his eyebrows.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Les," I replied. "I just don't want you to pursue a one-night stand with her. It will cause some problems for the company if you do." I had no desire to talk to my cousin about my Babe.

"Whatever you say, Carlos. Just so you know, you had better not pursue a one-night stand either. She deserves more than that man. She deserves a relationship. You can lie to me all you want, but I see you watching her. Your eyes follow her every movement. Really think things through if you want to pursue her. And if you hurt her, I will take you to the mats myself. That is if Hector doesn't get to you first. He seems to have taken an instant liking to her," Les said, walking out the door.

I couldn't tell Les that I have thought about nothing but Stephanie since I hired her. I don't know what I want with her. I just know I am drawn to her. I want to protect her. I want to be around her. I want to hold her and kiss her. I don't do relationships. I can't. I spend somewhere between 4-6 months out of the year doing covert government missions. That is not conducive to having a relationship. Besides that, I have made enemies working for the government, lots and lots of enemies….


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Merry Christmas to all :)

Chpt. 7

SPOV:

As I prepped for my first distraction, I thought about all of the changes my life has taken in the last year. I got divorced, laid off, and found a new job and friends. I have worked for RangeMan for three months. I can run a seven-minute mile if I am only running a mile; I can run 5 miles without stopping at an eight and a half minute clip. I am actually really fit now. I have defined abs, arms, and legs—a first for me. I am still not a morning person, but I deal with my early morning workouts because physically this is the best I have ever felt.

I can shoot multiple types of guns, and am always carrying at least one gun and a knife if I am in a skirt or two guns and a knife if I am wearing pants. I am now proficient with self-defense. I can get out of most holds and do enough damage to get away from an attacker. My weakest area in my RangeMan training is definitely my hand-to-hand/sparring skills. It is hard to fight someone when they are twice your size. I have learned to be an opportunist when it comes to fighting. I have to look for openings my opponents make while fighting in order to be effective.

Hector and Les have turned into invaluable friends. They have been my biggest cheerleaders and motivators. They have also taught me a lot of Spanish. Now I am able to get by in a conversation, but still need a lot more practice. Hector and I have our own dialect that Les, Bobby, and Tank refer to as Spectorlish.

Ranger has been gone for the past month on what I have inferred is a black ops mission. Les will neither confirm nor deny it. I realized that there are about fifteen RangeMen that will go "on business abroad," including all the Core Team members, but most seem to go for short periods of time. Les told me that he and Ranger are the only two people in RangeMan that go abroad for longer periods of time.

I heard Les knocking on my door, "Hey! Are you ready, Beautiful?" He stuck his head in the doorway. I walked out of the bathroom and spun around.

"What do you think?" I had my hair up in a messy French Twist and was wearing a turquoise sheath dress with four-inch nude FMPs, understated gold jewelry, and a tan Hermes Cabag Twist. The upside to going after a white collar, Ponzi scheming criminal was wearing great clothing and accessorizing with beautiful items.

"I think that will get David Villareal's attention," Les said, looking me up and down. "Are you dressed?"

"Yes, Les. I have a knife on my inner left thigh, and a gun on my inner right," I said. I would be exasperated if I wasn't so nervous about my first distraction.

"I need to mic you up. Do you want me to attach it?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows, making me laugh.

"No! You will cop a feel! Hand it over," I demanded. I grabbed the mic and surgical tape from Les. I taped the mic under my left breast, using the underwire of my bra to also help keep it in place.

"Time to go get ourselves a bad guy!" Les said. His excitement was thankfully distracting me from my nerves. When we got into the RangeMan Explorer he handed me an earpiece so that I could hear what the rest of the team was saying during the distraction and takedown. As we drove, Les told me where the rest of the team would be positioned. "Hal and Cal will be stationed at the backdoor. Bobby will be acting as the bartender and will give you non-alcoholic beverages. So ask for something easy like a rum and Coke or a gin and tonic. He can easily make them look like the real drink. Woody and Tank are on the inside and Hector and I will be at the front door."

I took a deep breath and mentally went over everything I was supposed to do. Sit near the skip, but not right next to him. Get his attention. Strike up a conversation and try to entice him out of the bar. Lead him out the door so that I am ahead of him when leaving the bar. Les and Hector would literally have my back as I walked out.

We arrived, and Les spoke quietly so the rest of the guys could hear him. "We have arrived. Where is the skip?"

Tank responded, "Skip is playing pool with a friend on the backside of the bar."

"You're on, Beautiful," Les told me, squeezing my hand. I took a deep breath, opened the car door, and walked to the front door of the bar with a purpose and extra wiggle in my walk. "You're so evil, Beautiful. So evil." Les groaned.

I walked into the bar and walked to the backside of the bar. I leaned on my forearms, asking Bobby for a rum and Coke, making sure to stick my hips out a bit, wiggling them to the beat of the music.

Woody who was in a booth watching Villareal said, "Definitely caught his attention Steph." I sat on a stool and spun around a bit so I could see the pool tables, making sure to slowly cross my legs. "Damn. I agree with Les. You are fucking evil," I heard Woody mutter, causing me to smile a bit.

I watched Villareal play pool for a few more minutes, catching him discreetly checking me out on more than one occasion. I decided I would take out my French Twist, showing that my workday was over by literally letting my hair down, and then crossing my legs again. That seemed to entice the skip enough to approach me.

"Hi, I am David. Rough day?" David Villareal asked me looking at my drink.

"Anastasia. It's always a tough day when you are a female consultant at a large Fortune 500 company," I said. "They never want to hear their weaknesses and always want to say I don't know what I am doing even though they are paying me big bucks to be there. But," I paused and gave him a small smile, looking up at him through my eyelashes, "I think my day is beginning to look up."

"That is sad that the higher ups don't know when to listen to the fairer sex. Maybe you could consult for my company. I am looking to expand my business," he said, touching my right knee. I had to stop myself from visibly cringing. "Women always have the best insights."

"Mmmm, I agree," I said. "But let's stop talking about work. My day was long enough and now I want to have some fun to reward myself," I purred, tilting my head to one side and touching his forearm. He gave me a beautiful smile. If he wasn't so slimy, I would have found him handsome.

He stepped a little closer asking, "What type of fun are you looking for?"

"Dirty, adventurous fun," I replied, giving him a flirtatious smile, making designs on his forearm with one of my fingernails. "My hotel is just a couple blocks away. Want to come with me?" I gently bit my lip, looking up at him through my eyelashes again.

"Lead the way," Villareal said with a huge smile. Gross! I thought. So gross! I walked slightly in front of him, holding his hand and led him out the front door.

I made it about five steps when I heard, "Bond enforcement! David Villareal put your hands behind your head…."

"Oh my God!" I turned around giving the skip a startled look. "What's going on?" I wanted to make sure it looked like I was surprised as well so that he would not suspect my part in his capture.

"Just a misunderstanding. Go and have a good night without me," he said, smiling at me. When I got in the driver's seat of Les' Explorer and shut the door, I heard Villareal start cursing at Hector and Les through my earpiece. Hah! He was trying to be smooth while I was within earshot. Too bad he didn't realize I could still hear him as though he were yelling in my ear.

I drove around a couple blocks surrounding the bar for five minutes waiting to hear from Les that the skip was on his way to the Trenton PD so I could go pick him up. "The skip is on his way to the Trenton PD now Beautiful," Les said into his mic.

I swung into the parking lot, got out and tossed the keys to Les. Before I could open the passenger's side door, Les grabbed me and gave me a big hug. I realized then how much I needed that hug. I was shaking, my teeth chattering. "I didn't realize I needed a hug so much," I chattered out.

"Adrenaline crash. Come on, let's get you back to RangeMan and then we will celebrate your successful first distraction. And let me tell you, you were _phenomenal_! We have done distractions before with a local BEA, Jeanne-Ellen, who used to be in the army. She has done distractions for years and has nowhere that amount of finesse or skill. You had him out the door within minutes of talking to him! We would have been there for at least an hour with her," Les gave me a huge smile.

"Thanks Les," I said smiling. "I am glad I could help you guys." My adrenaline crash finally ended by the time we got back to RangeMan, leaving me exhausted. "Are adrenaline crashes normal? I mean, I don't think he was particularly dangerous…."

"He was one of the less dangerous skips, yes, but he still had a gun on him. He likely would have reacted completely differently if Tank or I approached him," Les replied.

"If I was wanted by the police and you guys approached me, I would shit a brick! I know you are all great guys, but at first glance and to a lawbreaker, you all are intimidating as hell!" I exclaimed. Les smiled when I said they were intimidating. Men! He totally ignored the great guys part of my comment.

We got up to the fifth floor to check in with the Control Room. Villareal was booked at the TPD and the guys were on the way back.

"Tell the rest of the team to meet up in my office room in 15 minutes," Les told Zip, who was one of the guys watching the monitors. I followed Les back to his office and collapsed on his couch.

"You know that was actually really fun. I liked the rush," I said while my eyes were closed. I heard Les rooting around in his sideboard, apparently grabbing booze and glasses.

"You were meant to do distractions. I swear it was serendipity that brought you to RangeMan and I have never been so thankful for Fate." I opened my tired eyes and smiled at him.

"Thanks! I am really happy here. I also like that I will do these on occasion to break up the office humdrum." I started sitting up because I heard the guys coming towards Les' office.

"Steph, you were amazing!" Bobby grabbed me off the couch and gave me a huge hug. I was then passed down the line, getting hugs from all of the guys and the occasional kiss on the top of my head.

"Estefanía, !eres una sirena!" [Stephanie, you are a siren!] Hector told me, kissing both cheeks. I blushed.

"I called everyone in here to say 'thank you' for a job well done and congratulate Beautiful here! You were amazing!" Les said to tonight's team, handing out glasses of scotch.

"Here! Here!" We clinked glasses and sipped our scotch, mindlessly chatting. Hector had his arm around my shoulder while we chatted with Bobby about going to see the Hobbit this weekend. I started to rub the back of my tingling neck. A minute later the office quieted, and I turned around to see Ranger in the doorway.

"Welcome back, Ranger!" Tank's voice boomed in the office. "How was your trip?"

"Thanks," Ranger said in a quiet voice, looking around. "We met our objective, so the trip was a success. Did I miss a memo while I was gone? Do we have cocktail hour every Friday night now?"

I would have been somewhat offended by the comment if Ranger did not look so exhausted. I figured this was our cue to exit quietly.

"We were celebrating a successful distraction by Beautiful and take down by the team. It was her first ever and she had him out within minutes of talking to him," Les told Ranger, ignoring Ranger's attitude.

"Thanks, Les! I am really tired and think I am going to head down to my apartment," I said, hugging the guys as I made my way toward the door. Apparently the other guys had the same idea. I touched Ranger's shoulder as I was leaving and said quietly, "It's good to have you back."

I cursed myself all the way down to my apartment. It would have been so much better if I hadn't touched his shoulder. Damn that tingling! I kicked my shoes off by the door, stripped, leaving my dress, lingerie, gun and knife on the bed. I stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower. I desperately needed to shower off slimy skip cooties. While I waited for the water to heat up, I pulled my hair up into a loose bun and covered it with my shower cap. After taking a thirty-minute shower, I changed into grey yoga pants and a purple tank top, put away tonight's distraction outfit, and plopped down on the couch with a glass of water to watch Ghostbusters.

Fifteen minutes later I heard a knock on my door. I got up and looked out the peephole. Ranger…what the hell? I was stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds. Why would he be here? We don't meet up outside of work. He has made it a point to avoid me since Razzle's. Put on your big girl panties and open the damn door, Stephanie! You won't know until you talk to him. Pep talk completed, I opened the door.

RPOV:

I just got back from debriefing. My mission in Paraguay was a success, but I was too tired to revel in getting the information needed in a fraction of the time that we thought I would initially need. And I walk into a freaking impromptu party in Les' office. What the fuck? I am too tired for this shit. Les explained they were celebrating Babe's successful first distraction. She was apparently a natural and had the guy out in minutes, making RangeMan some serious money. Tank debriefed me about the status of the RangeMan Trenton; FTAs were caught up, we had acquired three new big clients, one break in, and one successful distraction occurred while I was gone. I was pleased that things were running so well, especially when I was gone on missions. It meant that was one less thing to worry about.

We went our separate ways, the guys going to their apartments or heading home for the night. I went up to my apartment on seven, dropping my stuff in my bedroom, stripping and heading to my shower. The hot water helped ease my tight neck and back muscles, letting go of some of the stress of the mission. Fucking drug cartels. I hate them. They are worse than the damned Mafia in New Jersey. Everyone is constantly watching each other like hawks, looking for ways to move up the chain of command, stabbing anyone in the back literally and figuratively to get there.

I was still keyed up from the mission, but had this inextinguishable feeling that I needed to talk to Stephanie to see how she felt about tonight. As I was standing in the hallway knocking on her door, I realized if I was honest with myself, I just wanted to talk to her and see how she was, to bask in her overall goodness and acceptance. After being around some truly awful examples of humanity, I craved being around an innocent, genuine person and Stephanie epitomized that.

Stephanie opened the door looking incredibly young with her hair up, no makeup, and in yoga pants and a tank top–completely unlike the sophisticated woman I saw in Les' office. "Hey, how are you? Do you want to come in?" she asked opening the door and gesturing to come in. I followed her into the living area. "Can I get you anything to drink? I have water, beer, and orange juice. Well, I have coffee too, but it is too late for coffee…." She was rambling a little. My sleep-deprived brain realized she was nervous.

"Water would be fine, thanks. I actually came to see how you were feeling after your first distraction. I heard you were brilliant, but how do you feel now that you actually completed one and had time to think about it a little?" I asked her, taking the glass of water she offered me.

"Oh! It was good. It was kind of fun to be honest with you. Ok, well I could have done without him touching me, _not that he was inappropriate. It's just that he is a slimy jerk who stole people's money_," she said, rushing the last half of her answer. "If he was inappropriate, I have a feeling Les and Tank would have beat the crap out of him."

I had to laugh at that. Beating the crap out of him would have been an understatement. I realized that in the short time she had been with the company, practically every guy on staff adored her and would do anything for her.

"It was kind of a rush and I liked that. It is a nice way to have some excitement in my life even though I am primarily an office worker. The only that I didn't like was what Les told me was the adrenaline crash, but he hugged me until the worst of it was over," she continued. I was insanely jealous that my cousin hugged _my Babe_ during the post distraction crash. I really needed to get a grip, especially considering the fact that I knew that Les cared for her as a sister at this point in time. "So you never answered me. How are you doing?" Damn, she caught that.

"I am fine. Tired, but that is pretty normal after that type of trip," I said trying to generalize. She raised her eyebrows when I said 'that type of trip.' She wisely did not actually question me though I could see she was dying to ask lots of questions.

"I can put together some reports for you on Monday morning so you can see everything in snapshots and not have to hunt around for information. Hopefully that will make re-acclimating yourself to being in the office and Trenton a little easier," she told me.

"Thanks. I would appreciate that," I said, "but I heard you already made my first day back significantly better since there won't be the normal mountains of paperwork I typically come back to." I slouched down on the couch, putting my feet up on the coffee table. We continued to talk about inconsequential things, including her plans to see the newest Hobbit movie with Hector and Bobby this weekend. I had to smile that she had completely won Hector over…. God knows that is near impossible….

I half woke up to tingling and Babe saying, "Come on sleepyhead, let's get you into bed."

SPOV:

Ranger and I were chatting when he fell asleep. He must have been beyond exhausted. I always thought that normally he would be too on edge to relax enough to fall asleep some place other than his home. I somehow managed to get a completely exhausted, half-asleep Ranger into my bed. I knew there would be no way I could get him up to his apartment on seven. He fell back asleep within seconds of his head hitting my pillow. Once I knew he was out for the count, I hightailed it to Les' door and banged on it, knowing it was still early for him on a Friday night.

"Wassup Beautiful?" he said, opening the door in low-slung sweats and nothing else. And he called me evil, I mentally sighed. These men have no idea what they do to my hormones.

"_Ranger's sleeping in my bed,"_ I hissed, rushing into his apartment. "What do I do?"

"Hahaha, do you really need me to tell you that?" he said wiggling his eyebrows.

"Shut up!" I hit him in the stomach. "Geez, I think that hurt me more than you!"

"So how did he end up in your bed?" Les asked me. I explained that Ranger came over to check on me after my first distraction. Les gave me a knowing smile.

"What does that smile mean?" I jabbed him in the chest.

"Oh nothing. So again, how did he actually end up in your bed?" he asked me again.

"He fell asleep on my couch and it didn't look comfortable, especially after whatever black ops mission he just came back from. I managed to half-haul him to my bed, half-guide him," I explained. Les gave me a knowing smile again. "What does _that smile_ mean?" I griped.

"Nothing. Go back to your apartment and get some rest. I promise Ranger won't cross the line. Honestly, he will probably be asleep for a good 12-18 hours considering he hasn't slept in three days. I will say though that it is telling that he came to check on you tonight after not sleeping for days," Les said kissing the top of my head.

Maybe he was not as indifferent to me as he had been acting I thought, creeping back into my apartment, and crawling into bed next to Ranger.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: I haven't spoken or written Spanish in almost three years. If you are a native speaker, please feel free to correct my Spanish.

Everything familiar belongs to the hilarious Janet Evanovich.

Chpt. 8

RPOV:

I woke up on Saturday at 1100 hours in an unfamiliar apartment in RangeMan—with a curly-haired brunette sleeping with her head on my chest and an arm and leg draped over me. Shit. How did I end up here? Did we have sex? Crap, I am too…tired. The last thought I had before I drifted back into the unconscious was how right it felt to sleep with Babe cuddled up to me.

SPOV:

I woke up at noon on Saturday, half-draped over Ranger's body. Well, this would be embarrassing if he was awake, I thought. Hopefully he didn't wake up earlier to me sleeping on him. I slowly crawled out of bed without waking him up. Thank God.

I crept into the kitchenette and turned on my Keurig, choosing to use one of my K-cups rather than grind my own coffee like I do most mornings. I didn't want to make any more noise than necessary. After my coffee brewed, I stood in the bathroom door jam, watching Ranger sleep, lost in thought.

Les told me last night that Ranger had not slept in three days and still came to see me when he got back. It made me hopeful that maybe something could happen between us in the future. Even though RangeMan consisted of the sexiest men alive, I was only interested in being involved with Ranger, who up until last night had limited our interaction significantly. Intellectually I knew getting involved with Ranger would be an awful idea considering he was my boss. Emotionally, I could not help to be drawn to him. He was mysterious and intelligent. Being the curious person I was, I desperately wanted to know his secrets. And physically, wow. Just wow. Just being near him made my body tingle and touching him made me feel like a live wire.

_Friends, Steph, that is all you can be_, I told myself. He is _your boss_. If you stop working here and you are still drawn to him, then you can ask him out.

I hated when my mind and body did not agree. Sigh.

With that, I closed the bathroom door and took a shower. After my shower, I put gel in my hair and let it air dry, not using my hairdryer so as to not wake up Ranger.

I ran up to the break room to grab some sandwiches, bowls of soups, and pieces of fruit, figuring that Ranger would be starving when he woke up. I grabbed a piece of fruit to snack on while he slept. A couple hours later I was bored with playing on my iPhone and grabbed _American Assassin_ to read, settling in on the bed to read next to his sleeping form.

Ranger started stirring an hour later; opening his eyes he looked at me, a small smile on his face. "Afternoon sleepyhead. Would you like some coffee and food? I grabbed some sandwiches and fruit from the break room so that I would have something healthy for you to eat. I know you aren't a junk food addict like me," I rambled. Internally I sighed, wishing I could talk to Ranger without sounding like a complete imbecile.

Ranger yawned. "Thanks, that all sounds good." I got up, made a mug of black coffee (The man didn't believe in making it more palatable with cream or sugar.) and grabbed plates to put the sandwiches and apples on for us. While I was assembling our plates Ranger got up and sat down on the couch. I put his coffee and our plates on the coffee table.

"How did you sleep?" I asked.

"I slept well, actually the best I have in months. Sorry for passing out in your apartment. I had just planned to check-in with you and then head back upstairs," he said.

"It's fine," I said smiling at him. "It was really nice of you to come and see how I felt about the distraction yesterday, especially considering your hadn't slept in days. It's no wonder you fell asleep." We ate in companionable silence. Okay, I might have moaned while I ate my sandwich. Ella can make even the healthiest food taste amazing. Ranger gave me a slight pained look and shifted on the couch. I blushed, and mumbled, "Sorry."

"Any fun plans for the rest of the weekend?" I asked Ranger, trying to change the focus from my food-induced moaning.

"No, I didn't even know I would be back this early. I was able to finish my work in a fraction of the time that had been allotted for it. I will probably catch up a little in the office tomorrow. What about you?" he asked me.

"Oh, well, like I told you last night I am doing the Hobbit movie with Bobby and Hector tonight. I am also having lunch with my family tomorrow, but I am not sure I would classify that as 'fun' per se. It is more like a slow, low level form of torture," I sighed when I spoke of my family. "Already my mom is on my case again about dating and getting married and having a family. She seems to have forgotten I just got divorced less than a year ago. She won't listen to me when I say that I don't even know if I want to get remarried. Her only response is to tell me I am being reactionary and then she sets me up with some weird guy from the Burg. Last weekend it was Bernie Kuntz who sells appliances, is prematurely bald, and has a beer gut, but he is only my age. Beyond that, he has _no personality_. Yet, according to my mom, he's 'a catch'."

"Your mother seems a little pushy, Babe. You need to have something to look forward after tomorrow's lunch. That way you have something else to focus on, rather than your mother's bad marital prospects," he told me.

"I don't think my normal go-to of watching _Ghostbusters_ and eating some Ben & Jerry's is going to cut it," I said.

"How about you have dinner with me tomorrow night up on Seven? We can have a relaxing dinner and catch up some more. I realized while I was gone that you have gotten to know all of my men, but I really haven't gotten to know you yet," Ranger said.

"Um…sure," I said, after mentally debating. Smart, logical Stephanie figured dinner was safe. He was asking me to have dinner with him as a friend. It wasn't a date. Hungarian hormonal Stephanie was trying to decide what I could wear that would make him view me as a potential love interest. "That sounds fun, thanks. It will definitely keep me motivated to live through my family lunch tomorrow." Ranger flashed me a blinding smile. He leaned over and kissed my forehead. I felt his kiss zing down to my doodah. I need to find a boyfriend and have a social orgasm, I thought to myself. That way I will stop looking at my boss like he is my own personal Tastycake.

"I will see you tomorrow. I will walk down to get you around six. Is that ok?" he asked standing up.

"That works for me," I replied.

"Great. And thank you for sharing your bed last night, Babe," Ranger said and then walked out the door.

I laid on the couch, covering my eyes with my forearm. _I am so screwed, and sadly, not in the literal sense._ Stupid Hungarian hormones! Sigh.

I had a great time with Hector and Bobby at the movies on Saturday night and I survived my family lunch on Sunday. Barely. I love my parents, but my mom's constant barrage of suitors was enough to make me consider moving away from Jersey.

Today's suitor was Bucky Siedler, an auto mechanic. Every time he spoke, he spit a little. Then his tongue would dart out like a snake to lick up his spittle. We had nothing in common. Two hours of Bucky's banalities and spraying spit at me was seriously making me consider moving to the middle of nowhere, far, far away from my mother, like Wyoming.

On my way back to RangeMan I decided that I needed extra Ben & Jerry's today after today's lunch and then there fact that I would be having dinner with Ranger. I would need extra sugar to hold my hormones at bay. I left Giovichinni's with my bag with two pints of Boston Cream Pie and Salted Caramel Core ice cream. Walking to my car I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, grabbed the glock that was tucked in the back of my pants and then I heard that sound—the crack of gunfire breaking my rear windshield. I dropped to a crouch just in time to avoid being shot, holding my gun looking around for the shooter. I hightailed it back into Giovichinni's and called RangeMan and then Joe.

Within minutes, Les, Tank, Bobby, Ranger, Joe and what seemed like half of the TPD arrived. I gave my statement to the police. I explained my bad feeling, crouching in the knick of time, and the gunshot. I was currently telling myself that I was fine and it was just a random act of Trenton crime, but it didn't feel like it. I felt more shaken than when my car blew up.

Les, Tank, Bobby, and Ranger exchanged a look, having their conversation via ESP.

"Come on, Babe. We're going back to Haywood so Bobby can look you over," Ranger said, putting his hand on the small of my back, guiding me to one of the RangeMan SUVs.

"What about Les and Tank?" I asked when I got into the SUV with Ranger and Bobby.

"They are going to stay here, talk with the Joe, and try to listen to what people on the streets are saying about the shooting," Ranger said. I was silent throughout the car ride. Ranger and Bobby exchanged a look, likely due to my unusual silence.

We went to the infirmary where Bobby checked me over, finding no physical injuries. Emotionally, I was on overload, which seemed to short-circuit my brain and ability to speak. Ranger guided me to the elevator, pressing the seventh floor button.

I walked into Ranger's apartment numbly. Earlier in the day I was insanely curious to see his apartment, but I could not appreciate being in it at the moment. He guided me to the couch, sitting down and then pulling me into his lap. That seemed to break my emotional dam, so to speak. I burst into tears. Ranger sat, holding me, rubbing my back and speaking quietly in Spanish.

"Todo será bien, Ciela. Estás salva aquí. No permitiré que nadie hace daño a ti. Eres mía. Voy a protegerte," he said repeatedly. [Everything will be ok, Sweetie. You are safe here. I won't let anyone hurt you. You are mine. I will protect you.]

I don't know how long I stayed in his lap crying and listening to his sweet words, of which I only understood about half, but I knew. He was _it _for me and I for him. It was odd that I was focusing on that at that moment, but if nothing else, I was great at living in denial. And really, who wants to think about being shot at? Thinking about your soul mate is preferable.

After a while Ranger helped me up. "Let's get you in the shower. It will make you feel better," he said, guiding me into his bathroom. "There's a robe on the back of the door. I will call Ella and have her bring you some clothes from your apartment." He turned on the water and turned to leave.

"Thank you. That doesn't seem to express how grateful I am for everything you have done for me today. Sorry. Words are failing me right now," I said taking a deep breath.

"No te preocupes. Siempre puedes apoyarse en mi," he said slipping back into Spanish. [Don't worry. You can always rely on me.] He then left me alone in the bathroom.

I took a long shower, using his shampoo and shower gel. His scent surrounded me, helping to calm me further. I looked at the bottle—Bulgari Man In Black. Talk about a delicious scent. I got out of the shower, quickly drying off and putting on Ranger's robe. It was incredibly plush and swallowed me whole due to our size difference. When I left the bathroom, I saw that Ella had in fact brought up clothes for me to wear. They were laid on his bed, the door to his bedroom closed.

I changed quickly, braided my wet hair, and went out to join Ranger.

RPOV:

I felt like I couldn't breathe when I got the call from control room saying that someone shot at Steph in the parking lot of Giovichinni's. This was a new feeling for me. I have been shot at, attacked, etc. and it never caused my heart to stop like it did hearing that someone had gone after Babe.

I gave Steph the once over in the parking lot to make sure she was ok, knowing that Bobby would give her a thorough examination when we got back to RangeMan, and then waited for the police to finish taking her statement. I silently communicated with Les and Tank, telling them they had better get a solid lead on the person or people going after her. This had been going on long enough. Word on the street was that her ex-husband was going after her, but we had no proof.

I am generally very calm and do not let emotions get to me, but Babe seems to break all of my rules and typical reaction patterns. My chest felt constricted when she started crying in my lap. I wanted to take away her fear, anger, and sadness. I started speaking to her soothingly in Spanish. I did not even realize that I told her she was mine until she was in the shower. _Shit_. I hope her Spanish lessons have not gone that far. I cannot have a relationship with her right now. Hell, I can't have a relationship with anyone while I still have my government contract. Besides that, she is still young and innocent and I am…well I am darkness. I am Death.

She came out of my bedroom, fresh faced, in a tank top (And no bra. I swear Babe was trying to kill me.), and yoga pants. She gave me a small smile. "Ella brought up dinner along with your clothes while you were showering. Are you up to eating?" I asked.

She snorted. "I am always up for food."

"Good because she even brought up a large piece of pineapple upside cake for you," I told her guiding her to the dining room. Steph immediately perked up, her eyes got a little glassy, her cheeks flushed, and she licked her lips. If that is what she looks like just thinking about dessert, I can only imagine what she would look like in my bed. My mind drifted for a moment until I realized that my pants were getting incredibly tight and uncomfortable. Once I sat down, I discreetly adjusted my very painful erection. Shit. I really need to go see Magdalena, my mistress, to deal with this…_problem_.

I did my best to distract myself from thinking about taking Babe to bed and claiming her as my own. I asked her questions about her family, how lunch was, and her friendship with Joe. I wanted to know about her childhood and what made her tick. I wanted to know why she married that ass, Dickie. In essence, I wanted to know everything about her. I even got the whole story about how she acquired the nickname "Cupcake." I felt a stab of jealousy when I realized they had sex once. I was again reminded that I never have my normal reactions when it comes to anything regarding Babe. I have never been a jealous man, nor have I ever felt so strongly for a woman before. I had never wanted to claim a woman as _mine_.

Sure, I had been with women before, many in fact. I avoided emotionally complex relationships so that it was one less concern in my life. Besides, I have problems communicating my feelings, which my ex-wife told me is necessary for a healthy relationship. The Army taught us to lock down our emotions in order to survive the shit they threw us into.

I am still a man though. Even though I couldn't do emotions and relationships I still needed physical companionship. So I have had numerous one-night stands and had even taken to taking a mistress on occasion since they do not require emotions. My current mistress, Magdalena, lived in an apartment I paid for in Philly. But Steph…she made me want to throw all of my rules out the window. God help me.

I continued my musings while we sat in the living room, cuddling while watching a football game. When the game was over, she turned to me, blushing. "Um…I was wondering. Uh…mmm…well…" she sighed, biting her lip. She took a deep breath and looked me in the eye, "Can I stay up here with you tonight? I don't want to be alone."

"Of course," I said. Bad idea Mañoso, I told myself. You can't have her. You can't give her what she needs or deserves, but oh, how I want to try!

"Why don't you get ready for bed first?" I suggested. When she came back to the bedroom, I went and got ready for bed, throwing on a pair of my silk boxers. When I came out, she looked at me and she blushed, turning her face away. I climbed into bed, turning off the light. I pulled Babe into my arms, holding her close to me. God, she felt amazing. She rolled over in my arms so we were face to face. She caressed my cheek.

"Thank you. I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am for you today. You are the only thing making me feel safe right now," she murmured, still caressing my face. This might have been one of the most intimate moments in my life.

"I will try to always be there for you," I said quietly.

We drifted off to sleep holding each other like we were each other's lifelines.

AN: Yes, there really is cologne called Bulgari Man In Black. I sniffed it just because when I was Christmas shopping and fell in love with it. I actually purchased it for my hubby ;)


	9. Chapter 9

Chpt. 9

RPOV:

"Report!" I commanded Les and Tank during our daily Core Team meeting.

"We picked up Eugene Brown last night and interrogated him. He is still in Holding Cell 1. He doesn't know who hired the Slayers to go after Steph. He just knows that they got a wire transfer of funds. I have Hector looking into the transfer of funds to see if we can find a lead," Tank said.

"Brown thinks that the money came from one of the Families. The two connections I can make between Steph and the Families is through her ex-husband, Dickie, and then her cousin, Vinnie, is married to Harry the Hammer's daughter. That being said, I talked with Vinnie and even Lucille. Harry adores Steph according to them. I think this has to do with Dickie," Les added. "The firm Dickie works for represents the Lucchese family."

"Shit," I said. "We need to resolve this quickly. I really don't want to force her to be locked down in the building." At that, Les snorted at me.

"_Primo_, you can't force Steph to do anything she doesn't want to. If you try to exert power over her, she will dig her heels in and will the do the exact opposite of what you want just to be spiteful. Oh, and add the word 'please' in there. She can't say 'no' when you use it," Les told me. [Cousin]

Suddenly, I heard Cal yell out, "Hal's down for the count!" Shit. I hadn't talked to Steph yet, nor the rest of the Core. When we ran down to the elevator, Hal was indeed unconscious on the floor. Bobby started assessing his condition.

"What happened? Why did he just faint? Did he say he wasn't feeling well?" Bobby asked the men surrounding us.

"Nah, he was fine man. Steph got to him," Cal said, laughing.

"What do you mean, 'Steph got to him'?" Bobby questioned Cal.

"I heard Hal tell her she wasn't allowed out of Haywood on Ranger's orders. At that point my interest peaked, so I stood up and watched from my cubicle. Steph explained she needed to go pick up RangeMan's FTA files from Connie. He still refused to let her through. She then asked to see his stun gun and then stunned him. It was the funniest thing," Cal explained.

"Steph 101. Don't order her, always ask nicely," Les said laughing. He started walking away from me. "Go fix your fuck up, Ranger. Oh, and say 'please'!"

Ugh. I don't _do nice._

I pulled up to Vinnie's office and saw Babe in through the window. She was pacing and making large, Italian gesticulations, and appeared to be cursing. This did not bode well for me. I cracked my neck before exiting the Cayenne. I needed to release the tension before I personally encountered Steph's feisty side for the first time without showing her my weakness. Don't get me wrong, I have seen surveillance video of one of Babe's and Morelli's epic arguments, but I was never on the receiving end. Time to meet the proverbial firing squad. Strangely enough, I had faced two of those and my Babe was far more intimidating when angry.

I walked into the bonds office. Connie stopped mid-chew on her donut, going slightly slack-jawed, and stared at me. Babe rubbed the back of her neck, paused for a second, turned on the stiletto heal of her tiger print FMPs, and glowered at me.

"YOU! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DECIDED TO INCARCERATE ME AT RANGEMAN!" she yelled at me. She stomped her way over to me. Through gritted teeth and punctuating each word by jabbing me in the chest with her pointer finger, she bit out, "YOU. ARE. MY. BOSS. NOT. MY. KEEPER!"

While my Babe was yelling at me and attempting to stab me with her finger, Connie's partially chewed donut fell onto the desk.

"I know I am not your keeper. Can we please talk about this? I did not have a chance to talk to you about my concern for your safety and how we can help keep you alive. Please, Babe," I said calmly. Well, I might have begged a little at the end. For God's sake, I used the word "please" twice in four sentences. I just order, never ask.

Babe sighed, her shoulders slumping a little. "Fine," she said resignedly.

I guided her out into the alley next to the bonds office. I leaned against the brick exterior of the building, putting my hands on both of her hips and pulling her between my feet. "I am sorry I did not get a chance to talk to you before you encountered Hal this morning. I wanted to go over the intel that Les and Tank gathered yesterday before discussing with you a plan to keep you safe," I told her. "I just didn't want you to go out alone before we came to some sort of agreement." I sort of lied to her a little there. I wasn't really planning on discussing so much as telling her how it was going to be. Hal getting stunned with his own stun gun made me change tactics.

"What do you have in mind?" she asked me, biting her lower lip.

"Well, first, I would like to make sure that we keep you bullet hole free," I told her. That got me a small smile from Steph. "I would like you to always go out with one of the guys. They are all trained to assess the public and spot threats. They also know how to spot tails and drive defensively."

"Hey! I am from Jersey! Driving defensively is the only way to drive in this state!" she said slightly indignantly. I had to smile at that.

"You never disappoint, Babe. Would you agree to always going out with one of the guys? Whether it is for business or personal? Please?"

"Ok, but you have to keep me informed about what you find out. I don't want to be left in the dark! Joe always leaves me in the dark," she told me.

"I am not Joe, Babe," I said. I pulled her closer to me, kissing her full, pouty lips. In that moment, all of my famous self-control was lost.

Steph pulled away slightly. I rested my forehead on hers. "Wow," she said breathlessly and glassy-eyed.

"Come on. Let's grab the files from Connie, and on the drive back to Haywood I will tell you everything Les and Tank found out," I said.


	10. Chapter 10

Chpt. 10

3 Months Later…

SPOV:

There has not been another attempt on my life since one of the Slayers tried to shoot me in front of Giovichinni's three months ago. I am half-happy, half-annoyed by this. We need more information to prove that Dickie and or his fellow lawyers in his practice are going after me. I doubt we will get enough proof until somebody goes after me again. Sigh.

The only good thing out of this whole situation is that Ranger and I have gotten close. If I leave Haywood after my typical work hours, Ranger or Les almost always accompanies me. On a personal level, I am not sure what is going on with Ranger and me. He seems to kiss me stupid any chance he can when we are by ourselves and off-the-clock so to speak, but it never goes past kisses, cuddling, and the occasional chaste sleepovers. Ranger went in the wind for two short missions and before he left he came to my apartment on four in the middle of the night to tell me both times. I asked him why he would come to tell me since we are just friends, not that I was complaining.

He told me, "Watching you sleep helps me center myself. You bring me a sense of peace. You remind me why I do these missions. Plus, it helps that my last memory of you is when you are in bed."

As I was taking the stairs up to seven I tried to come up with a way to approach Ranger. Combining the bed comment with the mind-blowing kisses, the amount of time we spend together, the chaste sleepovers and the complete lack of progression in our physical relationship, Ranger's contradictory behavior is confusing the hell out of me. He has become one of my best friends (along with Mary-Lou, Joe, and Les), but I want it to turn into something more. I think he wants more, too, but I can't figure out what is holding him back. Sigh. Hopefully I can find out during dinner why we seem to be stalling.

_Crap!_ I thought as I entered the seventh floor hallway. Those three flights of stairs went by too quickly. Time to face the proverbial music, I thought as I knocked on Ranger's door. I suddenly lost the ability to do anything but stare; Ranger answered the door in only a pair of lounging pants, and a towel in hand, rubbing his short, dark hair dry. God, I hope I am not drooling.

"Hey Babe," he said, giving me a kiss on the forehead. "Just give a me a minute to finish drying off and grab a shirt."

"Mmmmkay," I murmured. He turned around and shot me a full smile. I swear he knew how he affected my hormones and (lack of) ability to think and speak when I saw his bare chest and smile.

He came out of his bedroom with an ARMY t-shirt, his hair still damp and mussed from the towel.

"Ella brought up dinner," he said, wrapping an arm around my waist. I turned slightly so that I could finger-comb his hair, causing his eyes to darken with lust. "I even asked her to bring you up dessert."

It was my turn to shoot him a huge smile. "Really?" I asked excitedly. "Not that I am looking a gift horse in the mouth, but why? You always tell me, 'That stuff will kill you, Babe.'"

"You can indulge every now and then," he responded. "Besides, you just met the 10K benchmark requirement for RangeMan today. I thought that deserved a little reward." He looked down at me, smiling again. I didn't want to tell him I already indulged by eating a Butterscotch Krimpet Tastycake today (hence my taking the stairs up to seven).

I hugged him tightly. "Thanks," I mumbled, blushing into his chest. The fact that he knew and wanted to do something for me to acknowledge that I met that goal made touched me.

He hugged me back, kissed the top of my head. "Come on. Let's eat dinner. I am sure The Beast is ravenous," he said referring to my very vocal-when-hungry stomach. He opened a bottle of Chardonnay, pouring two glasses and carrying them into the dining room where Ella had left dinner for us.

We chatted about our days. He told me about meeting with the former governor of New Jersey and how he was pretentious and condescending. He actually admitted that the former governor tried his patience.

I told him about negotiating with our health insurance provider and how our representative was pretty uncooperative until I sent her copies of our employees' standard contract showing how healthy eating and exercise was a requirement and that should help negate the on-the-job-danger factor. I even convinced our representative to Skype with me to help prove my point. I dragged Bobby, Les, and Tank into my office to show off their physiques to her via Skype. Their eight-pack abs, pectorals, and huge arms were the clincher, helping me lower our premiums. Ranger threw his head back and laughed when I told him about how I essentially pimped out his three business partners. "You never disappoint, Babe," he said.

We took our wine into the living room, turning on _Mr. and Mrs. Smith_, one of our favorite movies. I snuggled up to his side, enjoying his warmth. Halfway through the movie he started kissing me. Oh boy, does he know how to kiss! We made out like a couple of high schoolers for the rest of the movie. When he pulled away, his eyes were so dark due to lust that they looked black. "We need to stop, Babe. If we don't, I don't know if I can control myself with you," he said sitting up and running his fingers through his hair.

"Why do you keep stopping?" I asked. "I think I want this just as much as you." I climbed onto his lap, straddling him.

"I can't give you more, Steph. It would be purely physical and you _deserve more_ than that," he said looking deeply into my eyes.

"Why do you think it would be purely physical?" I asked. I was confused. We were essentially in a relationship, just without sex and I was getting incredibly sexually frustrated.

"Because I can't give you more. My life doesn't lend itself to relationships." He looked pained as he told me this.

"Ranger, we are already in a relationship. The only thing that is missing is the sex," I told him.

"No, we are not. We are just friends," he said.

"Friends don't make-out every time they have privacy," I replied. "We spend almost all of our free time together."

"Steph, we are just friends. I am not going to deny that I want you. I do, _desperately_. I know you can feel how much I want you, but I can't give you more. I take off on a moment's notice for months on end. I might not come back from one of my missions. I can't do that to you. _You deserve more._ And I have made enemies; I don't want to put you at risk. Besides, I don't have time for a relationship; I work 80 hour weeks at a minimum," he told me.

I sighed. "I understand that. Have I ever complained to you that you are too busy? And, if you haven't noticed, I apparently have a contract on my life already, not caused by you. I bring my own danger to whatever we are."

"No, you have never complained, but you don't have any right to as a friend," he told me. Banging my head against a brick wall seemed far less painful and frustrating than this conversation.

"That wouldn't change," I said.

"You say that now, Stephanie, but I would end up missing an anniversary or birthday or God knows what. You would end up getting upset and hurt by that and it is not something I can control. I would rather have you in my life this way than risk losing you because I couldn't give you the things needed in a relationship," Ranger said. He suddenly looked exhausted.

"You wouldn't lose me," I told him, caressing his cheek.

"I can't risk losing you," Ranger repeated. "You don't know the things I have done. I don't deserve you, Steph."

"You are a good man, Ranger," I said looking deeply into his eyes. "Everything you have done has been in service to your country, to keep your fellow citizens safe. Saying you don't deserve me is absurd."

"Steph, I have killed people," he said looking tortured. My heart broke for him in that moment. He looked so haunted.

"I know, but how many lives did you save by killing those that they hired you to go after? I know that if you had to balance it out, you have done far more good than you realize. You are not psychotic and go killing for sport. You are a true patriot," I said. "I might not know the details of everything you have done, but I know your heart. I love you regardless of what you have done or what you will do." _Shit! _Did I just tell him I _love_ him?!

"You wouldn't love me if you knew," he adamantly told me.

"I will still love you. Just think about what I have said tonight. You deserve good things in life because you are a good man. And you won't lose me because you go on missions for long periods of time or because you work crazy hours," I said. I sighed, "The only way you will lose me is if you push me away." I kissed him again, getting up so I could go back to my apartment. This conversation had wiped me out and tonight was not the night to stay over. I think I just gave us both a lot to think about. I hadn't planned on tell Ranger I loved him. Hell, I didn't realize it until the words spilled out of my mouth. Considering I stunned myself with my words, I can only imagine how he was feeling. He is worse with feelings and expressing them than I am.

I bent down to kiss Ranger again. "Good night," I said walking out the door. I walked calmly to the door to the stairs. Once in the stairwell I flew down to the fourth floor. I exited the stairwell, again walking calmly to Les' door. I didn't want anyone else to know that I was freaking out. Knocking on Les' door, I prayed he would answer the door.

Les answered the door, looking half-asleep, hair sticking up in random places. "Beautiful, what's up?" he said yawning.

"Sorry to wake you, but I need my emergency stash of ice cream and to freak out," I said quickly. Raising his eyebrows, he silently guided me into his apartment. I ran to his freezer, grabbing out my pint of Ben and Jerry's Boston Cream Pie ice cream.

Sitting down on the couch and patting the spot next to him, Les said, "Ok, spill."

"I…uh…I might've told Ranger something," I stuttered.

"You have to give me more than that to figure out what is going on," he said.

"_ItoldRangerweareessentiallydatingwithoutthesex,"_ I said rushing my words without taking a breath. Les snorted. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"I was just imagining my cousin's reaction. I take it he did not take it well?" he asked me.

"Well…he took it better than I thought he would. He didn't throw me out of his apartment, but he just kept saying we are only friends," I sighed. "And then somehow I told him I love him unconditionally. I didn't even realize it until after I said it."

Les choked on his own saliva. "You told him that you love him?"

"Yeah, I am kind of mortified. I don't know how I will face him tomorrow," I muttered looking into my quickly disappearing pint of ice cream.

"How did he respond when you told him that you love him?" Les asked, still looking shocked.

"He said I wouldn't if I knew everything he had done, that he doesn't deserve me. He said he doesn't want to lose me…" my voice trailed off. "Before I told him I loved him, he told me that his life 'doesn't lend itself to relationships.'"

"Well, Beautiful, you know better than any other woman, that none of the lives we lead lend themselves to relationships. We are gone for months on end and can't tell significant others what we are doing or where we are. We work crazy hours and are constantly in danger," Les told me.

"I do know better than any other woman that dates any of you, yeah, but I understand. It's not like I am demanding he change for me," I said.

"No, you aren't and I know you wouldn't. That is not who you are, Beautiful, but as you told me, he doesn't want to lose you. We know too many guys in the Rangers whose wives left them, cheated on them…I know Ranger, Tank, Bobby and I decided back then that we didn't want to get married and put our spouses and ourselves through that. And even though we are out…we still have our contracts," he said.

"I am not delicate. I can handle all of that. And I would never cheat on Ranger, let alone anyone else. Dickie cheated on me and even though I realize now that I never truly loved him, it still hurt like a bitch," I said.

"I know you can, Beautiful. If there is any woman that can handle one of us, what we do, and be strong enough to handle all of the things we cannot disclose to you, it is you. You are just too important to Ranger for him to risk losing you," Les said, trying to console me.

"Should I just let it drop?" I asked in a small voice.

"I don't know, Steph. I just don't know," he said quietly, hugging me and rubbing my back. "If it makes you feel better, I am positive he is in love with you, too. I think he has loved you since the funeral home."

I sighed and got up. "I should go to bed. Thanks Les."

"Steph, wait," he said, touching my arm. "We all have another year on our contracts. I don't think Ranger is going to sign another one. Maybe he will be ready once his expires." I hugged Les and gave him a kiss on the cheek. I left his apartment, and went back to my own, crawling into bed.

RPOV:

Babe and I had dinner again tonight. The night started out well, but then it got shot to hell. She wants a relationship. She wants more. I can't give her more. And she loves me….

_She loves me!_ I don't know how I am lucky enough to have her in my life, to have her love me, but I don't deserve her. I can't give her what she wants right now, not with my contract. I have another 12 months left. How can I give her what she wants and needs when I can't guarantee I will be here or will return? How can I remain faithful to her if I have to sleep with a woman to get intel for a mission? I can't put her through that.

This is definitely the right thing to do. I sighed, resting my head on the back of my couch, a glass of scotch in my hand. I listened to the Black Keys' song, "Too Afraid to Love You" on repeat.

_My gears they grind  
>More each day<br>And I feel like  
>They're gonna grind away<br>And the city blocks  
>They drive me wild<br>They're never ending  
>Mile after mile<br>I just don't know what to do  
>I'm too afraid to love you<br>It's heaven on earth  
>In her embrace<br>Her gentle touch  
>And her smiling face<br>I'm just one wishing  
>That I was a pair<br>With someone  
>Oh somewhere<br>I just don't know what to do  
>I'm too afraid to love you<br>All those sleepless nights  
>And all those wasted days<br>I wish loneliness would leave me  
>But I think it's here to stay<br>What more can I do  
>I'm wringing myself dry<br>And I can't afford to lose  
>One more teardrop from my eye (1)<br>_

* * *

><p>(1)"Too Afraid to Love You," Black Keys' album: Brothers, written by Dan Auerbuch, Pat Carney. 2010.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Many apologies for the long delay! I had not intended it, but there was a death in the family and then once I started getting back to normal life I got sick. When I say I got sick, I mean the flu which turned into pneumonia. I am on antibiotic #2 and currently banned from seeing people other than my husband because I am too susceptible to other infections. So far 2015 hasn't started out so great, but it will improve!

Chpt. 11

SPOV:

The following morning came too quickly. I dragged my sorry ass down to the torture chamber. Whoops, I meant the gym, where I had my standing 5:00AM appointment with Bobby. I had barely slept the previous night, replaying my conversation with Ranger over and over again. I told him I love him and he didn't reciprocate, not that he had to, but it would make me feel better. "I don't deserve you," could very well be a clever way to avoid telling me he liked me solely as a friend with making-out rights. I know Les told me he thinks Ranger is in love with me, but neither of us can say how Ranger truly feels. Sigh.

"Sleeping Beauty chooses to grace us with her presence," Bobby said teasingly.

I looked at the time on my phone. "It is 5:02, Bobby!" I was exasperated. I barely slept. My relationship neuroses were in overdrive, making me feel crappy and insecure. And the icing on the cake was that I was up before the ass-crack of dawn only to be told I was two minutes late. Teasing or not, I was not in the mood.

Bobby, ignoring my obviously shitty mood, continued, "Since you met the 10K goal yesterday, I figured it is time to set a new running goal to keep you motivated!"

"I am hoping you will tell me there is an ice cream sundae or a beautiful pair of fuck-me pumps at the end of this running journey," I replied. Maybe this morning wouldn't be totally awful. And then Bobby laughed. Laughed! Shit, this does not bode well for me.

"Nope! I think we should sign you up for a half marathon!" I glared at Bobby. I was ready to go into full rhino mode, but Les had apparently entered the gym soon after I did and heard Bobby's and my conversation. Les must have decided Bobby, his partner, needed rescuing from me. Smart man, that Lester Santos.

"You know what Beautiful?" Les asked me rhetorically, throwing an arm around my shoulder. "I think you have been kicking some serious ass in all your contractual requirements. I think we should take today off and plan a fun weekend trip instead." Les must have ESP'ed with Bobby.

"Steph, you know what? I agree with Les. You deserve the day off from the gym," Bobby told me, giving me a kiss on the forehead.

"Thanks, Bobby," I said beginning to walk towards the door.

"Hold up, Beautiful!" Les said, bouncing over to me. If that man could share his secret to boundless energy, he would make a fortune. "I am coming with you so we can plan together! I am going with you, wherever you decide to go. I am your bodyguard slash B.F.F. slash wingman all rolled into one in this sexy package!" I had to laugh at Les' enthusiasm and playfulness. We went back up to our fourth floor apartments to get ready for the day, agreeing to have coffee and breakfast before work.

I showered, exfoliated, shaved, and moisturized. I straightened my hair and did my makeup, paying special attention to the dark circles under my eyes. I chose to go old school with my makeup, with basic eyeliner and mascara, light blush, and classic red lipstick. I needed the focus of my face to be on anything but my exhausted eyes. I dressed in a black sheath dress, red jacket, and black peep-toe FMPs. As I looked in the full-length mirror, I decided I looked good, really good considering the circumstances.

I made coffee for Les' and my coffee, carrying it across the hall to his door. I realized I couldn't knock with coffee in my hand and thus decided to lightly kick the door. Les opened the door with a towel in his hand, drying his hair, and a pair of black cargoes. He was bare-chested also. I felt a sense of déjà vu. It was like last night with Ranger was replaying itself, only this time it was with Les and our meal was breakfast. Sigh.

"Gimme a sec, Beautiful. I just need to grab a shirt." Thank God, I thought. I can't take being around all these sexy, bare-chested men. I haven't had a social orgasm in months! Working at RangeMan is like working in Tasty Pastry, except I can't sample any of the goods. Oh, dear God, this trip idea couldn't come at a better time. I need to get away from here.

Setting our coffees at Les' breakfast bar, I hopped up on a stool, waiting for my breakfast companion, sexy bodyguard, and partner in crime all in one. Les walked back into the kitchen and looked at me. "Woah! You straightened your hair. And you're wearing red lipstick. Going for a new look?" he asked.

"I am trying to have people look anywhere but my exhausted eyes," I explained. "Plus, I wanted to look good. It's the whole spiteful girl response. 'Look what you could've had!'"

Les laughed. "Even exhausted you are still spirited. _Mi primo no sabrá lo que le afectó." _He then went about making omelets as we chatted about my ideas of where to go for a short vacation. [My cousin will not know what hit him.]

"So I was thinking we could maybe make it a long weekend and go to Philly. I haven't seen my two college roommates since my wedding and one lives there. She has a wicked nice apartment there and we could stay with her. My two other thoughts were Cleveland or Puerto Rico. Yeah, yeah, I know, they couldn't be more different, but hear me out," I told him. "My other college roommate lives in Cleveland and I figured we could mix business and pleasure, so to speak and have a longer trip out there. And well, Puerto Rico…it would be nice to go someplace warm. This snow is beginning to drag me down, but I should probably have more vacation time banked for a trip to P.R."

"Ok, well, I will tell you something if you promise to act surprised in our meeting this morning," Les said. I tilted my head to the side, trying to figure out what he was going to tell me.

"Hmmm, well, considering I will already be pulling out my distraction acting skills during the meeting, I promise," I said. I already had to act like life was peachy keen in front of Ranger, Tank, and Bobby. Acting surprised would be easy, comparatively speaking.

"So today you will get your six month evaluation and before you start freaking out, don't. We think you're a huge asset, but that is not the surprise. We already decided that you, Tank, and I will be heading to Cleveland to start setting up the new Cleveland office," he told me.

"Wait! You guys decided on Cleveland?" I exclaimed, jumping off my stool, doing my little celebratory dance. "_Yes!"_ Les laughed at me.

"Yes, your adopted hometown won. So we were planning on flying out to Cleveland on Monday morning," he explained. "By the way, if you do your little celebratory dance and exclamation about your city 'winning' when Ranger announces this, it will keep the guys from knowing I told you."

"Okay…so today is Tuesday. If we wrap everything up today and tomorrow, we can go to Philly on Thursday and stay through Sunday. I will have to call M.J. right after the meeting to see if that is ok with her. Could you arrange flights to Cleveland out of Philly?"

"M.J.?" Les questioned me.

"Yes, M.J., short for Mary Jo, but she hates her name. She was a great roommate and friend during college. Now she works in publishing," I explained. "Do I need to give you her personal information so you can run a background check on her?"

"Even though I think it is overkill, yes. Can I please have her personal info so that I can run it? You know Ranger will worry," Les said sighing, "He is worse than a momma bear with her cubs."

"If she is in publishing, and it couldn't be for very long since she is your age, how can she afford a nice pad?" Les asked, forking in a huge bite of omelet.

"Old family money. Think the Hiltons without being obnoxious and self-absorbed," I said. I typed up a quick text with M.J.'s personal info to Les so he could run his preemptive search on her. We finished up our breakfasts, rinsed our dishes, leaving them in the sink for Ella. As we left Les' apartment, I felt happier and relieved. I would have little face-to-face contact with Ranger for a while. Hopefully by the time we come back, my embarrassment will have faded, I thought.

I then started texting M.J., seeing if she was available for a long weekend of fun. As Les and I walked into our normal Tuesday morning meeting, I continued telling him about her. "She's super intelligent. Honestly, I swear, she could run rings around all of us here. She reads something once, fiction, nonfiction, whatever, and she remembers and comprehends everything instantly. It is honestly a little frustrating. Some of us had to work a lot harder in college than she did, but she was so damned nice about it. She would go out of her way to help me study if I was having problems with class. I am telling you this as a warning, because I love you both. She is really pretty. Five foot four inches, hourglass figure, huge green eyes and auburn hair. If you make an ass of yourself, hit on her or try to have a one-night stand with her, I will kick your ass and then have Ranger send you to Antarctica. Don't. Even. Think. About. It. Promise me, please. She is too good of a person to be one of your weekly play things."

My threats of kicking Les' ass and having Ranger send him to Antarctica got the attention of Bobby and Tank. "Why are you threatening Les, Gorgeous?" Bobby questioned me.

"We are most likely going to go visit one of my college roommates this year. I was threatening him. She is off limits. She is too good of a person to be thrown away with this weeks trash like all of his normal conquests," I replied.

"You wound me, Beautiful. I am _not that bad_, but I promise I will not pursue M.J. due to my respect for our friendship," Les promised.

Ranger chose that moment to come into the conference room and start the meeting. It was our basic Tuesday morning meeting; nothing was outstanding on my end, so I was relaxed throughout it. Near the end they gave me my six-month review. They were incredibly complimentary, telling me I was an integral part of the team. Even though I thought they were being over the top, it was still nice to hear and helped with my self-esteem. A divorce and getting laid off near simultaneously will affect one's self-esteem, no matter how healthy it was to begin with.

Then Ranger announced that they selected Cleveland to be their newest RangeMan location. I made sure to act surprised to protect Les. I whooped, got up and did a little victory dance, shaking my ass as I went. Everyone smiled at my happiness and enthusiasm over our new location.

"I am happy you are so thrilled with our decision, Babe," Ranger said once I sat down with a huge grin on my face. "I was hoping you would accompany Les and Tank to Cleveland on Monday to start looking at possible locations for the new office, determining what type of authorizations we need to get, etc. I am thinking this initial trip will take approximately two weeks with scouting a location, finding a good contractor and what not."

I just looked at Les and smiled a huge grin. I had two and a half weeks away from Ranger. Hopefully that would be long enough to ease some of my humiliation with a whole lot of fun thrown in.

As the meeting wrapped up, I looked at my phone. M.J. had responded, confirming we could come down to Philly for a long weekend. I started typing another text to my other college roommate, asking if she would have free time in the next two weeks to get together.

"Les, M.J. confirmed. We have long weekend plans!" I said, pushing my hands on his shoulders, using them as a launch pad to hop up higher than I would normally – a huge feet considering my FMPs. As shitty as this morning had started out, my day was already a thousand times better and it was only 9AM.

RPOV:

I didn't see Babe during her normal workout time. As I ran, I worried that she was avoiding me. Last night could have definitely gone better. If only she hadn't decided to talk about feelings and wanting a relationship. I thought I had been clear about that before. If I wasn't pushing myself so hard with my run, I would have sighed.

I walked into the conference room for our normal Tuesday morning meeting. Steph appeared to be giving Les a hard time. She was acting like her normal self, but she seemed off. She had taken the time to straighten her hair and change her make-up. Don't get me wrong, she looked amazing, but I preferred her hair to be wildly curly. Her curly hair seemed to epitomize her personality; it seemed almost too harsh when straight.

_Dios mio_, I thought, as Steph celebrated the opening of the Cleveland office. I wanted to grab her and dance with her, for her to grind her ass and hips against me. Not good. I had to discreetly adjust myself under the conference table. At least I was able to make her happy with the choice to open our office in Cleveland, but she would be gone for two weeks. Probably for the best, I thought. We needed some distance between us, not that I really wanted it…sigh. [My God]


End file.
